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A walk down the Yellow Brick Road of Malaysia's Corridor of the future

by Bernice Low, Malaysia

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And my magic eight ball says...

Jan 29, 2008 00:49

Some predictions for 2008, and thoughts on the stories that will be hogging the headlines on the tech scene.

MNVO a.k.a. Mobile Network Virtual Operator.
The market is going to be crowded with Umobile, Redtone and Tune Mobile looking to see if they can make this model succeed. Suspect as the business model is, IMHO, I do see this being something that gets the mobile market a little frothy and give the analysts out there something to get excited about. Just remember, boys, excitement doesn't equal liftoff.

How hot? G-String, Baby.

WiMAX
Hmm, if anyone can figure out a business model that makes money quickly enough that is.

How hot? Marks & Spencer Granny Knickers.

TM demerger
So everyone thinks this is a hot deal/big deal/cool deal/some deal better than no deal-type deal of 2007. I've got this one on my "must-blog-about-it" list. I do think it will stay in the news but I'm not sure it will turn out to be all that it's cut out to be in terms of benefiting both the corporate entity or the consumers.

How hot? Mail order lingerie. Looks good in the pictures, but might scratch when it arrives.

Mobile number portability
Expected to launch in August 08, this could be what tweaks the entire market in a more competitive direction, especially with the MNVO thrown into the mix. Could be a torrid story (if it results in hideously comical, mixed-up, cross-line calls initially) or a very tame, error-free crossover.

How hot? Think Wonderbra. Might push things up, but then again you have to have something to work with first...

YouTube.com.my
Okay, the URL doesn't exist, but the point is 2008 could be the tipping point for the Government as far as YouTube access goes. The battle for Malaysian hearts and minds may well be decided in the pixelated realms of cyberspace. What do they say about TV rotting the brain?

How hot? Definitely triple XXX

Wireless broadband a.k.a. 3g
Aside from the gamut of qualifications that are lumped onto the quality of service, breadth of service and nature of service (think choking), the question is whether or not this can be a real answer or alternative to the broadband woes of Malaysians. Then there's that matter of the "best effort" proviso.

How hot? Lukewarm. Think a bad espresso--all scent, no kick.

E-Gov
With E-Tanah, the Government's attempt to computerize the process of land management has already kicked off poorly, but with the Government nonetheless committed to the idea of electronizing the process of Government, look for this to stay in the news in 2008.

How hot? Think see-through, but not quite transparent...

Trends (or should that be ghosts of the year past) that might come back again in 2008 for a little poltergeisting... Venture capital and seed funding... the Malaysia Boleh space program... digital content and animation to Super Corridor or not to Super Corridor beyond the Super Corridor... censorship of the Internet... and data privacy... who will score the iPhone in Malaysia... Time-Digi deal...

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About Bernice Low

Bernice Low is a screenwriter and pen-for-hire. At age 11 (in the era of BB--Before Blog) Bernice started her own newspaper, the Daily Jelly. It lasted two days before she was stopped from using school newsprint supplies for frivolous activities. She loves Cartoon Network's Bill and Mandy, has a thing for TV doctors House and MacDreamy, and is the proud owner of a 32-inch flat-screen TV. She believes diamonds and iPods are a girl's best friend. Her blog is her latest guilty pleasure.