MyIX to finalise peering deal with Netflix by end of August

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX) will finalise its peering deal with America's popular online entertainment company, Netflix, by end-August, says chairman Chiew Kok Hin.

The non-profit MyIX is the first neutral Internet Exchange where local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content providers connect to exchange Internet traffic.

He said the deal with the entertainment company, brings Netflix content closer to Malaysia as well as neighbouring ASEAN countries, paving the way for the country to become a content hub in future.

"We hope with the deal, we can attract other international players to come to Malaysia in the future as we are working to position the country as a regional Internet exchange gateway," he said.

Netflix is a popular online American entertainment company that provides a range of videos and movies and is also the world's ninth-largest Internet company by revenue (US$8.83bil).

Chiew added that the country's positioning as an Internet exchange gateway, would attract South-East Asian ISPs countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia to peer with Malaysia, in order to access international Internet data traffic in a cheaper way, at higher quality.

"It will bring the content nearer to us, and neighbouring countries will not only save cost but also improve on content quality," he said.

Since MyIX's inception in 2006, it has closed peering deals with various parties including Alibaba and Yahoo.

Chiew also said the cost of accessing content had dropped over the years, allowing telecommunication companies (telcos) to reduce their pricing and offer more data and bandwith to their clients.

"With this in effect (cost reduction), the pricing set by telcos is being monitored by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to ensure it is fairly set," he said.

As for the Internet speed in the country Chiew, who is also AIMS Data Centre Sdn Bhd CEO, said overall, the speed offered to Malaysian Internet users is satisfactory, but acknowledged that there are still certain areas in the country that do not have good Internet coverage.

"Telcos have taken steps to widen their connectivity but it is acknowledged that there are still obstacles in providing fast Internet speed nationwide," he said. – Bernama