Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) and OCK Group Bhd will develop and operate telecommunications and digital infrastructure on Andaman Island in Penang, under a joint venture announced on 16 Oct and reported by NST.
The venture pairs Tinggi Murni Sdn Bhd, an indirect subsidiary of E&O, with OCK Setia Engineering Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned unit of OCK Group that provides telecommunications network solutions and digital infrastructure services, The Star noted.
The two companies will build and run telecommunications towers, smart poles, fibre-optic and broadband networks, and in-building connectivity systems. The infrastructure is meant to let telecommunications operators and internet service providers deliver connectivity to residents, businesses and the wider community on the island.
E&O said the tie-up forms part of its long-term masterplan for Andaman Island, a waterfront development that carries residential, commercial, hospitality and lifestyle components.
E&O managing director Kok Tuck Cheong said connectivity had to be considered while the island is planned, not after it is built. “For a development of Andaman Island’s scale and ambition, infrastructure cannot be an afterthought. It must be considered from the outset as part of the wider masterplanning process,” he said.
He said the goal was an integrated waterfront destination. “Our vision for Andaman Island extends beyond the development of individual properties. We are shaping an integrated waterfront destination where people can live, work, connect and experience a complete lifestyle. Achieving this requires us to look beyond the physical environment and consider the essential systems that support everyday life, from accessibility and utilities to digital connectivity and the infrastructure needed for future growth,” he said.
OCK Group managing director Datuk Sam Ooi Chin Khoon said the joint venture would let digital infrastructure be planned into a property development from the start. He said OCK would bring telecommunications towers, in-building coverage and fibre-to-the-home infrastructure onto one platform on the island.
“This approach is intended to enable telecommunications operators to expand their network presence more efficiently while supporting the connectivity needs of residents, businesses and the wider community,” he said.
Ooi said closer coordination between infrastructure providers and property developers could support the growth of Malaysia’s digital connectivity. The collaboration is also viewed by OCK as a model that can be repeated in future property developments, The Star noted.
Smart poles and towers carry the antennas and equipment mobile networks need, while fibre lines link individual homes and businesses. In-building systems distribute mobile signals inside malls, offices and apartments, where concrete walls and coated glass cut reception. Laying ducts and setting aside sites while a township is under construction is simpler than adding them once buildings are occupied, which is why developers and network operators are starting to plan such works together.
Andaman Island is one of E&O’s waterfront projects in Penang. E&O said the collaboration allows the group to fold telecommunications infrastructure into the development from the planning stage, rather than treating connectivity as a separate job once the buildings are up.
