NEWS: Intel: ICT incentives need to go wider

KUALA LUMPUR: Chipmaker Intel Malaysia said the netbook bundle for university students, announced in the Budget 2010 speech, is a great initiative to ignite computing and broadband adoption among the youths.

It hopes the initiative can be scaled out to students at all education levels in the near future because it dreams of the day when there will be stronger integration of ICT (information and communications technology) in education.

That, said Intel, would drive learning in and outside of the classroom.

The Government is offering netbooks and broadband access to university students at a low cost — just RM50 a month for two years.

Intel said it also hoped to see more allocation for higher education research, as well as stronger collaboration between Malaysian universities and top-ranking engineering schools around the world.

As for the government decision to give a tax relief of RM500 to each person who subscribes to a broadband Internet service, Intel said it had expected better.

Intel believes the Government should instead subsidise the cost of broadband access and the devices for all Malaysians; similar to its netbook package for university students.

Such a subsidy would benefit a broader audience, especially those outside of the tax net, it said.

The US-based company also said it hoped the Government will help address the need to encourage competition and liberalisation among Internet service providers in the country so that broadband cost and quality can be improved.

To read more of Intel’s comments, go to the Intel Malaysia Blog at www.myintelblog.com.