SINGAPORE (03/13/2000) - Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) will extend its reach into neighboring Indonesia following an agreement signed last Thursday, according to the MSC's organizational body, Multimedia Development Corp. (MDC).
The MSC is a 750-square-kilometer high-tech zone set up in 1996 to incubate local start-ups and to attract foreign companies specializing in the IT and telecommunications industry, with a view to making Malaysia competitive in the global knowledge economy.
The agreement was signed between MDC and a five-member consortium of Indonesian IT companies and organizations to collaborate on the development of the Indonesian IT and multimedia industry and explore ways and means to establish similar projects to the MSC in Indonesia.
The Indonesian consortium is composed of Institut Teknologi Bandung, PT.
Indosat Tbk., PT. Sisindosat, Yayasan Ilmu Pengetahuan Dan Teknologi Indonesia and PT. Krakatua Information Technology, MDC said in a statement.
The initiative is significant as it demonstrates that the success of the MSC has inspired others to look at it as a viable and concrete model for similar projects of their own, MDC CEO Mohamed Arif Nun said in the MDC statement.
He added that the serious interest shown by the Indonesians in having their own MSC project dispels the recent criticisms that have been leveled at the MSC.
The fact that Indonesian counterparts intend to use the MSC as a blueprint for their own initiative demonstrates what the MSC has achieved in the three-and-a-half years of its existence, Arif said.
He added that it was only natural that the two countries should pool their strengths and assist each other in facing the challenges of the digital economy.
As neighboring countries with a common ethnic, linguistic and religious background, Malaysia and Indonesia understand each other's needs and share a vision that the benefits of the knowledge revolution should be shared equitably throughout society, Arif said.
About 400 companies are registered to operate in the MSC, including local subsidiaries of Sun Microsystems Inc., Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., Oracle Corp., Intel Corp., Siemens AG, Fujitsu Ltd., Motorola Inc. and Lotus Development Corp.
MDC can be found online at http://www.mdc.com.my/.