Cybercenter status for Menara TM

The event was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last week, in conjunction with the 11th MSC Malaysia International Advisory Panel Meeting. Menara TM located in Jalan Pantai Baru, joins KL Sentral, the Malacca International Trade Centre (MITC) and the Menara MSC Cyberport as full-fledged MSC Malaysia Cybercentres


New Witsa chairman

MULTIMEDIA Development Corporation (MDeC) vice president Dan E Khoo, has been elected as the new Witsa chairman. He takes over the mantle from George Newstrom of Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). Khoo is also advisor to the Association of Computer and Multimedia Industry Malaysia (Pikom), which has been elected to host the World Information and Services Alliance (Witsa) Secretariat between 2008 and 2010. The Witsa Secretariat was previously hosted by the ITAA.


Global ICT spending tops RM11.8 trillion

THE global marketplace for information and communications technology (ICT) will exceed US$3.7 trillion (RM11.8 trillion) this year and will top US$4 trillion by 2011, according to Digital Planet 2008, a study released by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (Witsa) at WCIT 2008 last week. Slowing economies in developed countries will lead ICT spending into a period of slower growth through 2011. However, strong demand in 2007 will spill over into 2008, resulting in annual growth of 10.3 per cent in both years, down from 12.3 per cent in 2004. Growth in overall ICT spending is projected to decline to 3.6 per cent by 2011.


Intel, Grameen announce business venture

INTEL Corp has announced that Intel Capital and Grameen Trust will form a business venture focused on social and economic development. The joint venture will use a private sector-based approach to address poverty, healthcare and education in developing countries. Intel’s chairman Craig Barrett made this announcement in his keynote address at the WCIT 2008 conference last week. He said the joint venture aims to bring about self-sustaining solutions based on information and communications technology (ICT) to empower the world’s impoverished citizens. The initiative, which will be launched in Bangladesh, is based on the “social business” model created by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Muhammad Yunus, who founded Grameen Bank in 1976 to promote micro-financing and community development.