Facebook Malaysia has just moved into a new, larger office. With it, it aims to bring much improvement and waves of development to the country by introducing high-speed internet via the Terragraph as well as empowering small businesses in Malaysia with the necessary skills and tools.
The Terraraph system is a new wireless technology by the company which uses street-level mmWave radios placed on street furniture such as lamposts. This technology is created to meet the growing demand for high speed internet in both urban and suburban areas. This technology is able to fiber-like speeds and only costs a fraction of the cost of our current fiber technology. As of right now, the Terragraph is undergoing trial in Georgetown, Penang with 50 free wifi spots. Soon, Facebook Malaysia is planning on expanding their trial to Cyberjaya within this 2019.
The Terragraph connectivity area in Facebook's new office
The Terragraph hotspot layout in Georgetown, Penang
The nodes used for the Terragraph
In addition to high-speed internet, the company also aims to grow local businesses to bring life to Malaysia’s digital economy. The initiative, aptly named Fast Forward Together, focuses on creating programs to help Malaysian entrepreneurs grow and transform their businesses both locally and globally through digital skills.
Currently there are 4 programs run by the company. The first being Made in Malaysia, Loved by World which is a partnership between FB Malaysia with Matrade and AVANA which has helped empower 1000 businesses across 7 cities in this country, equipping businesses with the means to export their products and knowledge of digital online capabilities for global growth. Next is Blueprint Training which offers free education to help businesses learn how to market their businesses through the many Facebook apps. The Developers Circle aims to build programs for local developers that support education and innovation by providing them with the skills and resources they need. Lastly, the MDEC e-Usahawan Program aims to produce 100 Blueprint Associate Certified trainers this year so that they are able to go out and produce more across Malaysia.
With 98% of Malaysian internet connected users on their platforms, Facebook Malaysia also aims to make their platforms more empowering for communities to have a positive social impact on society. The Facebook Community Leadership Circle program aims to empower and show support to Facebook community leaders through Facebook Groups. The leaders will meet, gain experience as well as share experiences with one another. This program is set to launch by the end of this year in Kuala Lumpur. Besides that, We Think Digital offers literacy courses to help the community think critically and learn to be more aware when sharing news on social media.
Since 2016, Facebook Malaysia has been trying to create a change here in the country via their platform. The NUR Alert lets users know when a child goes missing on a user’s timeline in affected areas and Safety Check lets loved ones know if a user is safe and sound during a traumatic incident. In addition, very recently the Why am I seeing this was just launched to help users understand why a certain post on their timeline, what posts they interacted with triggered it and allows users to control what they see on their feed via a simple control on their News Feed.
Today, Facebook Malaysia also celebrated a new milestone which is an expanded, new office in Kuala Lumpur. With the larger office, the company hopes to expand their team, providing more benefits for users across Malaysia. So what do you think of Facebook Malaysia’s plans? Keep up with the latest news on TechNave.com!
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