28 Dec 2022
ACES Awards 2022 recognises TM R&D as the innovative tech company of the year
In recognition of its transformative approach to software and technology that can lead to the creation of new approaches and prospects
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently won the Innovative Tech Companies of the Year Award at the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2022, organised by MORS Group. The award was conferred to TM R&D in recognition of its transformative approach to software and technology, demonstrating that its tech innovations can lead to the creation of new approaches and prospects.
Dr Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D accepted the award from Shanggari B., Chief Executive Officer of MORS Group and Luis Nieto, one of the juries for the ACES Awards 2022.
“This is a proud moment for the TM R&D team. Winning this award illustrates that we are on the right track. The transformative approach in our work will help propel Malaysia to be a nation of producers, instead of consumers. Our ability to produce will lead to greater sustainability of our country,” Dr Sharlene expressed her gratitude on receiving the award. “Our achievements are shaped by the discipline, focus and determination we have instilled, and I would like to thank our team for their commitment towards excellence.”
TM R&D is a world-class R&D company that helps businesses solve operational issues and co-create solutions for the global market. It focuses on intelligent platforms, IR4.0 technologies and connectivity to create smarter business ecosystems. The company strives to stay relevant with new innovative solutions that the market cannot do without and takes on projects that provide multifold benefits to organisations.
Among its strengths is the local in-house talents that can make, create and innovate as well as provide thought leadership on infrastructure for the future. Acknowledging that nurturing talent is crucial to the business, TM R&D also offers emerging skills learning and development programmes such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Science & Analytics and Data Engineering for its employees.
Because its products and solutions are developed in-house, TM R&D is able to customise its innovations based on customers’ needs, addressing their specific pain points and meeting their customers demand (B2B2C) – embracing the Group’s aspiration of becoming a human-centred TechCo. Every product and solution that is developed contains embedded security, analytics and AI hence expanding its functionalities and delivering maximum benefits to the users.
TM R&D’s main aspiration is to create and deliver the next Unicorn for TM and ultimately for Malaysia. To support this, it holds fast to the three (3) pillars of its business, which are exploratory research, co-creation with industry, and commercialisation thus making life and business easier with smarter ecosystems to enrich humanity and bring progress to nations.
The ACES awards is among the most prestigious accolades that recognise inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates cross-industry across Asia. The awards value services and achievements of businesses of any nature respected for their contributions to their communities and the world. For more info about ACES Awards, visit https://www.acesawards.com/.
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TM R&D wins prestigious MSC Malaysia APICTA 2018 for the innovation of Smart Safety Helmet
Places TM R&D as the Champion of Research & Development in 2018 TM Research & Development (TM R&D), the research arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) recently won the Cross Category: Research & Development for its innovative Smart Safety Helmet during the 19th MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific ICT Awards (MSC Malaysia APICTA) 2018 organised by the National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM). Winning this prestigious award places TM R&D as the champion of Research & Development in 2018. In addition, TM R&D has been selected to represent Malaysia in the Cross Category: Research & Development at the International APICTA Awards 2018 in Guangzhou, China. Present to accept the award was Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer of TM R&D. Developed by TM R&D, Smart Safety Helmet is a data driven smart industrial or safety helmet, an Internet of Things (IoT) solution that provides live, wireless monitoring and array of sensors including accident impact and geolocation which can be used to perform various analysis towards creating a safer worksite. It sends telemetry to the cloud and processes the data for the benefit of the employer as well as the staff. It has all the safety helmet features, location tracking services, attendance, violation detection and a video camera for remote coaching and emergency observation of the workforce. This Smart Safety Helmet innovation is the first Smart Safety Helmet in Malaysia and it is now ready to be deployed for industry players across various sectors such as Oil & Gas, Construction, Chemical & Manufacturing Industry and many more. Commenting on the milestone achievement, Datuk Bazlan Osman, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of TM said, “We are excited and thrilled to know that TM R&D has won the award. It was such a great honour and it is the first of many other innovations that will be introduced by our R&D arm. We are certainly proud of this recognition and TM R&D’s outstanding achievement in the ICT industry.” “TM will continue to introduce more innovative and converged propositions to empower Smarter Living, Smarter Businesses, Smarter Cities, Smarter Communities and a Smarter Nation - delivering a seamless digital experience and integrated business solutions to cater to individual lifestyle and business communication needs - towards making “Life and Business Easier for a Better Malaysia”,” he added. Meanwhile, Dr. Sharlene shared, “It is indeed a proud moment for us at TM R&D, as well as for TM Group. We have received tremendous interest for its novel design and unique key features that promote safety and collaboration while working on the field, regardless of industry. The invention of this smart helmet without doubt will increase operational efficiency at the work place and enhance productivity level of the workforce.” The Smart Safety Helmet started off as a challenge in speed and innovation, where the team worked towards creating a first working prototype within two (2) weeks. It later became part of one of the five (5) pillars of smart solutions under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between TM and Petronas to increase operational excellence and enhance customer experience. Gaining huge interests from large corporations, the Smart Safety Helmet was invited to be featured at the recent 4th Malaysia Oil & Gas Services Exhibition and Conference (MOGSEC) as part of TM’s product showcase. MSC Malaysia APICTA provides recognition to outstanding achievements of individuals, students, entrepreneurs, SMEs and organisations with operations in Malaysia who have contributed to the development of the MSC Malaysia initiatives or in building applications and services for the benefit of Malaysia. It recognises creativity, innovation, and excellence in the Malaysian ICT arena. MSC Malaysia APICTA also provides an opportunity and an ideal environment for individuals and companies to gain local, regional and international exposure through on-going promotional activities, and through participation at the international Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA). Winners of the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards will represent Malaysia at the annual International APICTA Awards. For more information about TM R&D and its products and services, log on to www.tmrnd.com.my
TM JOINS CANDLE SUBMARINE CABLE SYSTEM CONSORTIUM TO CONNECT MALAYSIA AND ASEAN COUNTRIES TO JAPAN
KUALA LUMPUR, September 22, 2025 – TM, Meta, SoftBank Corp., IPS Inc., PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk, and NEC Corporation are collaborating to develop the Candle submarine cable system. Candle is a 24-fiber pair, 8,000 km submarine cable system connecting Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, that is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. It will contribute to infrastructure expansion and secure redundant routes to meet the increasing demand for data communications driven by 5G and AI. This cable system will be one of the first in the Asia-Pacific region to use a 24-fiber pair cable, enabling superior traffic capacity to support the growing demand for communications in the region. Chairperson of the Candle Management Committee, Don Pang, said: “Candle represents a pivotal advancement in fortifying the region’s digital infrastructure. As the need for robust, high-speed connectivity grows, Candle will deliver greater network diversity and resilience along this essential corridor, leveraging state-of-the-art technology. This milestone reflects the deep collaboration among our partners and underscores our shared commitment to advancing digital inclusion and economic opportunity for over half a billion people in the Asia-Pacific region.” The partners from participating countries also provided their comments on the importance of this new system. Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer said, “TM’s participation in the Candle submarine cable system project demonstrates our commitment to building resilient digital infrastructure that meets the growing demand for digital services and cloud-based, AI-driven innovation across Asia. It strengthens our ability to support hyperscalers, enterprises and global service providers in expanding their footprint across ASEAN, while reinforcing Malaysia’s role as ASEAN’s digital hub. This initiative bodes well with our aspiration to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030—connecting Malaysia to the world, and the world to Malaysia.” “At Meta, we imagine a future where everyone has access to AI, personal superintelligence, and other emerging technologies to improve their lives and connect with each other. This is part of our commitment to seamlessly bring people together no matter where they are in the world.,” said Nico Roerich, Director, APAC Network Investments, Meta. “With the rapid advancement of generative AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for international telecommunications is expected to continue accelerating. CANDLE adopts a 24-fiber-pair architecture, making it one of the core foundations of next-generation social infrastructure that SoftBank is promoting. By integrating with other submarine cables such as JUPITER, ADC, and E2A, we will further enhance the diversity and redundancy of global communications networks originating from Japan, and strengthen Japan’s role as a digital gateway for Asia,” said Kimimasa Kudo, Vice President and Head of Global Business Division, Enterprise Unit, SoftBank Corp. "Our participation in this project reaffirms our commitment to play a significant role in the further development of digital infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, which is vital to our operations in Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. With our subsidiary, InfiniVAN, as the landing party in the Baler, Aurora Province on the eastern seaboard of the Philippines, this is one of many projects we have planned in support of developing the Philippines as a connectivity hub in Southeast Asia." said Koji Miyashita, CEO of IPS, Inc. “XLSMART will fully support the project and we believe the Candle cable will bring benefits for all consortium parties and Indonesia”, said Feby Sallyanto, Chief of Enterprise, PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk. Tomonori Uematsu, General Manager, Submarine Network Division, NEC Corporation, added, “NEC is a leading vendor in the submarine cable system business with over 60 years of experience. NEC is particularly strong in leading subsea projects in the Asia-Pacific region, having been responsible for eight optical submarine cable systems connecting Japan and Singapore, including ‘Candle.’ In this project, NEC will participate as a system integrator, providing everything from the manufacture of submarine cables and repeaters to route design, installation, and testing. Through the establishment of a highly reliable communication environment in the Asia region, NEC will contribute to the development of the digital economy.” This initiative is a milestone in collective partnerships and commitment to strengthening regional connectivity, ensuring secure and reliable international data transmission, and advancing the digital growth of communities and businesses across ASEAN.
TM R&D inks MoU with ZTE to collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd (ZTE), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, to collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50Gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia. The MoU was signed by Dr Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D and Steven Ge, Chief Executive Officer, ZTE Malaysia. Under this agreement, TM R&D and ZTE will jointly explore the capabilities of next-generation Passive Optical Network (PON) access technology, 50GPON, to support various application scenarios. In addition, both entities will look into use cases that can deliver ultra-broadband access to the government, enterprise and consumers, as well as support the requirements of innovative services such as 5G, Cloud Virtual Reality (VR), industrial intelligent manufacturing for high bandwidth, low latency & jitter, and clock synchronisation, all of which will enhance the user experience in Malaysia. Commenting on the MoU, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, “TM R&D is committed to conducting research on future technologies and innovating new value-added smarter eco-systems that will improve the quality of user experience, and ultimately bring a positive impact on their lives. This fits well into the TM Group’s transformation towards becoming a human-centred TechCo. We are very excited to partner with a renowned global player such as ZTE to innovate on future generation PON technology in line with the global trend and technology roadmap.” Meanwhile, Steven Ge, Chief Executive Officer, ZTE Malaysia shared, “With Gigabit home broadband services widely used in Malaysia at present, and the basic fixed network is in the time window of evolution from GPON to 10G PON, this partnership could not have come at a better time.” “ZTE is pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with TM R&D on future research in next-generation PON technology supporting Digital Malaysia,” he added.
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