KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Australia’s fastest telecommunications connection to Asia and second fastest to the United States will occur from the Sunshine Coast, thanks to a new international submarine cable contract that has been agreed between Sunshine Coast Council and RTI Connectivity Pty Ltd (RTI-C).
Sunshine Coast Council was the first local government in Australia to secure an investment in an international submarine cable; and in an increasingly digital world, the value of this investment for the region's future could not be understated, a statement said.
The project includes a 550km undersea fibre optic cable which will connect the Sunshine Coast to the 9,600km Japan-Guam-Australia South (JGA-S) submarine cable that is currently being delivered by a consortium involving RTI-C, Google and AARNet.
At Guam, the JGA-S cable will connect to the SEA-US Cable System, a highly efficient Trans-Pacific cable which will forge connections between South-East Asia and the United States for more than 1.5 billion people.
The investment of up to AUD$35 million (RM103.8 million) in the undersea cable connection from the Sunshine Coast to the JGA-S cable plus supporting land-based infrastructure is being jointly funded by the Sunshine Coast Council and the Queensland Government. (AUD$1 = RM2.97)
The Sunshine Coast will provide the fastest, most affordable international connection point for Queensland and Australia to Asia, providing a significant step-change in Queensland's attractiveness as an investment location.
The landing of a submarine cable on the Sunshine Coast will not only diversify the landing locations for telecommunications traffic, but will also provide speed, reliability and capacity improvements for the whole of the state.
The cable – which would connect to a new cable landing station near the Maroochydore City Centre – would increase data transmission speed, provide greater redundancy and should, over time, lead to a reduction in international communications costs for business and consumers.
Ratepayers will also benefit from the agreements reached with RTI-C, as the council will receive a revenue stream from customers accessing the JGA-S cable network through the Sunshine Coast cable connection.
The new path will deliver traffic into and out of Australia faster than the Sydney route as it is geographically closer to mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan besides west coast of the United States where big companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon are located.
The international submarine cable will also benefit small business as it will provide better connectivity, speed and redundancy and encourage new companies to look at the Sunshine Coast to take advantage of the connectivity to international communications infrastructure.
The submarine cable will be supplied and installed by Alcatel Submarine Network (ASN). It is expected to be completed by the first half of 2020, the statement said.
-- BERNAMA
Friday, September 7, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
TCL Flagship Products Win Gold Awards
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Two TCL Corporation flagship products at IFA Berlin 2018 recently won awards jointly issued by Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (GIC/AHK) and International Data Group (IDG).
The TCL QLED TV X8, which received the Display Technology Gold Award, provides users the ultimate visual experience with primary colour quantum dot display technology with up to 157 per cent colour gamut and Dolby Vision HDR technology.
The X8 also features the hardware resources of Onkyo and is equipped with the Dolby Atmos acoustic algorithm.
Additionally, the AI series can be triggered by far field voice which allows the audiovisual and interactive experiences of X8 to complement each other.
On the strength of integrated variable frequency air-cooling, negative oxygen ion preservation, smart frost-free and space divisions, the TCL Inverter No-Frost Refrigerator was awarded the Full DC Inverter Technology Gold Award.
To prepare for the in-depth integration of cutting edge technologies and products, TCL has been actively enhancing its presence in the fields of AI, big data, 5G telecommunications and display technology.
At IFA Berlin 2018 -- a leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances --TCL Research Europe in Poland was officially unveiled. This research centre will play a critical role in developing AI technology among TCL’s worldwide footprints.
--BERNAMA
Malaysians 96 per cent users in Southeast Asia downloading COSCOI´s educational apps
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are among 96 per cent of users in Southeast Asia downloaded educational apps for children featuring cute characters of ‘Go East’ developed by COSCOI -- an animation character development and digital contents company in South Korea.
The users also includes those from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand whereby Vietnam and Indonesia take up 80 per cent of total sales. The apps have been downloaded about 40,000 times in a month after released, a statement said.
“I expect the apps to succeed in the global market without difficulty thanks to their strong showing in Southeast Asia. We plan to release 11 more educational apps this year,” said Coscoi vice-president, Ja Keun Kim.
The company recently released smart edutainment apps ‘Go East! Coloring’ and ‘Go East! Xylophone’ as part of ‘Coscoi Friends’ series using ‘Go East’ -- its typical intellectual property in animation. The app series have been distributed to 135 countries.
It also has signed a contract with Zalo -- a famous messenger app of Vietnam -- to supply ‘Go East’ emoticons soon and it is in consultation with other Southeast Asian companies over license for ‘Go East’ and other emoticons.
The company has developed Mobile App Service (MAS) -- a content management platform -- to launch and manage apps for an effective distribution and utilisation of ‘Go East,’ its intellectual property.
‘Go East’ is an animation content adapted from ‘Journey to the West’ -- a 15th century classical Chinese novel which deals with the adventures and exploits of a monkey named Sun Wukong.
Characters in the story also received positive responses in global character, animation and IP exhibitions including the LIMA 2018 in Las Vegas, USA, the Beijing International Film Festival in Beijing, China and the Mifa 2018 in Annecy, France. More details at http://www.coscoi.net.
-- BERNAMA
The users also includes those from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand whereby Vietnam and Indonesia take up 80 per cent of total sales. The apps have been downloaded about 40,000 times in a month after released, a statement said.
“I expect the apps to succeed in the global market without difficulty thanks to their strong showing in Southeast Asia. We plan to release 11 more educational apps this year,” said Coscoi vice-president, Ja Keun Kim.
The company recently released smart edutainment apps ‘Go East! Coloring’ and ‘Go East! Xylophone’ as part of ‘Coscoi Friends’ series using ‘Go East’ -- its typical intellectual property in animation. The app series have been distributed to 135 countries.
It also has signed a contract with Zalo -- a famous messenger app of Vietnam -- to supply ‘Go East’ emoticons soon and it is in consultation with other Southeast Asian companies over license for ‘Go East’ and other emoticons.
The company has developed Mobile App Service (MAS) -- a content management platform -- to launch and manage apps for an effective distribution and utilisation of ‘Go East,’ its intellectual property.
‘Go East’ is an animation content adapted from ‘Journey to the West’ -- a 15th century classical Chinese novel which deals with the adventures and exploits of a monkey named Sun Wukong.
Characters in the story also received positive responses in global character, animation and IP exhibitions including the LIMA 2018 in Las Vegas, USA, the Beijing International Film Festival in Beijing, China and the Mifa 2018 in Annecy, France. More details at http://www.coscoi.net.
-- BERNAMA
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
A.M. BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF ROYAL INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BHUTAN LIMITED
SINGAPORE, Sept 3 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb-” of Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited (RICB) (Bhutan). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.
The ratings reflect RICB’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and marginal enterprise risk management (ERM).
RICB’s strong risk-adjusted capital position is supported by its investment portfolio, which mainly comprises loans and deposits. The company’s earnings have been consistently positive, derived primarily from its sizable portfolio of loans and advances. The neutral business profile reflects the company’s market-leading position in the relatively small life and non-life markets of Bhutan. RICB is the larger of two insurance companies in the country and holds a monopoly position in the life insurance sector in its domestic market.
Offsetting rating factors include RICB’s ERM, which is assessed as marginal. The company has no developed asset-liability management framework for its life insurance business. The risk of asset-liability mismatches have been heightened by significant growth in RICB’s annuity business in recent years, which increased the company’s reserve leverage ratio to 2.8 times as of Dec. 31, 2017.
Positive rating actions are unlikely in the near term. Negative rating pressure could result if risk-adjusted capitalization deteriorates as a result of adverse operating performance.
The ratings reflect RICB’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and marginal enterprise risk management (ERM).
RICB’s strong risk-adjusted capital position is supported by its investment portfolio, which mainly comprises loans and deposits. The company’s earnings have been consistently positive, derived primarily from its sizable portfolio of loans and advances. The neutral business profile reflects the company’s market-leading position in the relatively small life and non-life markets of Bhutan. RICB is the larger of two insurance companies in the country and holds a monopoly position in the life insurance sector in its domestic market.
Offsetting rating factors include RICB’s ERM, which is assessed as marginal. The company has no developed asset-liability management framework for its life insurance business. The risk of asset-liability mismatches have been heightened by significant growth in RICB’s annuity business in recent years, which increased the company’s reserve leverage ratio to 2.8 times as of Dec. 31, 2017.
Positive rating actions are unlikely in the near term. Negative rating pressure could result if risk-adjusted capitalization deteriorates as a result of adverse operating performance.
XMaterials to start securities token offering in Q4 2018
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- XMaterials (XMAT) will scale its AI- and machine learning-powered factory automation process for mixing and setting customizable, environmentally friendly and enhanced building materials through a securities token offering (STO), begin in Q4 2018.
To meet the supply and demand gap for its enhanced building materials, XMAT has decided to decentralize its technology -- for other building and construction companies who wish to enhance their products can become XMAT franchisees.
XMAT in a statement said it will aggregate and analyze the production data collected from all of its franchises in order to improve its recipes and processes.
Additionally, all XMAT token holders will be able to purchase the technology stack and franchise rights at a 25 per cent discount and receive at least 15 per cent of all profits derived from the royalties XMAT receives from franchises.
Ultimately, XMAT aims to disrupt the $600 building materials industry and revolutionize the way cities, roads and homes are built.
XMAT’s parent company, Intellihouse, developed patent-pending AI- and machine learning-driven technology for geolocating and aggregating building materials, including waste materials; mixing and setting the ingredients on a molecular level into a custom end product, depending on the specifications of the factory; and analyzing the production data to iteratively improve subsequent batches.
The technology and its resultant eco-friendly, faster-setting and more durable forms of concrete, granite, marble and ceramics have already generated $2 million in revenue in XMAT’s first year of business.
More details at www.xmat.io
--BERNAMA
ATPCO AND BLOCKSKYE PROOF OF CONCEPT EXPLORES APPLICATION OF BLOCKCHAIN IN AIRLINE OFFER MANAGEMENT
DULLES, Va., Sept 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATPCO and Blockskye today released a white paper describing the key features of blockchain and its applicability to airline distribution. In addition, the companies, along with SITA, announced a proof of concept (POC) on blockchain and how it could potentially be utilized in next-generation airline offer management. As part of this POC, ATPCO, Blockskye, and SITA are advancing a discussion on how the industry might create value for the market using decentralized airline offer generation based on International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) and ONE Order initiatives. The concept would enable airline and channel partners to handle the exponentially increasing volumes of data accurately and securely. The POC leverages NDC Exchange, built by ATPCO and SITA, because it is a neutral platform that facilitates real-time connectivity, on SITA’s global IT infrastructure, between airlines and travel sellers so that they can exchange messages easily and cost-effectively.
As airlines and sellers deliver greater value and choice through NDC, it becomes increasingly important for offers to be consistently and accurately managed. NDC Exchange provides the ability to seamlessly integrate fulfilment and data sources from shopping through settlement across all actors in the value chain. The POC will explore augmenting NDC Exchange with blockchain technology, providing a trusted and secure offer authority that can reduce integration costs and transaction risk for airlines and sellers alike.
As airlines and sellers deliver greater value and choice through NDC, it becomes increasingly important for offers to be consistently and accurately managed. NDC Exchange provides the ability to seamlessly integrate fulfilment and data sources from shopping through settlement across all actors in the value chain. The POC will explore augmenting NDC Exchange with blockchain technology, providing a trusted and secure offer authority that can reduce integration costs and transaction risk for airlines and sellers alike.
JAPAN INSULATION RELEASES DAIPALITE-EA, INORGANIC THERMAL INSULATION MATERIAL RESISTANT TO HIGH TEMPERATURE
OSAKA, Japan, Sept 5 (Bernama-AsiaNet) --
- Environment-friendly, Utilizing Biomass as Raw Material and Fuel, and Yet Can Withstand Heat of 1,000 degrees Celsius -
JAPAN INSULATION CO., LTD. has released "DAIPALITE-EA," a thermal insulation material developed on the basis of the results of ODA-based cooperation research with Malaysia. By using rice husk ash as an alternative material for silica stone, it enables effective use of rice husk which cause environmental pollution by river dumping. Moreover, by utilizing the heat (biomass energy) generated when burning rice husk in the reaction and drying processes, carbon dioxide emissions can be greatly reduced.
- Environment-friendly, Utilizing Biomass as Raw Material and Fuel, and Yet Can Withstand Heat of 1,000 degrees Celsius -
JAPAN INSULATION CO., LTD. has released "DAIPALITE-EA," a thermal insulation material developed on the basis of the results of ODA-based cooperation research with Malaysia. By using rice husk ash as an alternative material for silica stone, it enables effective use of rice husk which cause environmental pollution by river dumping. Moreover, by utilizing the heat (biomass energy) generated when burning rice husk in the reaction and drying processes, carbon dioxide emissions can be greatly reduced.
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