Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim calls on Telekom Malaysia to reinvent itself for AI, quantum computing and growing national security threats.
SEPANG: Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) must reinvent itself to meet the demands of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and increasingly complex national security threats, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar said the national telecommunications company could no longer view its role simply as keeping Malaysians connected, but must take on a broader responsibility in developing advanced technological capabilities and protecting national interests.
“Telecommunications connectivity and artificial intelligence require more than merely installing or repairing the poles,” he said in his speech at TM’s 80th anniversary celebration at Multimedia University (MMU) here.
Anwar said TM’s responsibilities had expanded significantly from the era of the former Jabatan Telekom, with rapid technological advances requiring new expertise, skills and capabilities.
He said Malaysia’s ambition to become a more advanced and sovereign nation required TM to continuously adapt to emerging technologies rather than become complacent with its existing achievements.
“This means our children must be trained, given new exposure, new exposure to the world and to new disciplines,” he said.
Anwar said he was particularly proud that TM had evolved alongside Malaysia’s technological transformation, from the semiconductor era to the digital age, while embracing digital transformation and AI.
He also highlighted TM’s cyber defence capabilities as an important component of national security.
“We have recently been talking about quantum computing, which also requires new input and experience.
“For example, the TM Cyber Defence Centre has already been established, and this is a national defence requirement,” he said.
Anwar said TM’s role extended beyond serving a single generation, as the company had to operate in an era of rapidly accelerating technological change.
He said the pace of technological development had increased significantly, from the relatively gradual changes of the 1960s and 1970s to rapid advances from the 1990s onwards and into the 2020s.
Anwar said Malaysia had enormous potential and must leverage its technological capabilities to strengthen the country’s standing.
“Malaysia is a great country and Malaysia has tremendous potential. So make use of it, protect it and safeguard it with a shared determination to elevate our dignity, standing and stature,” he said.
He said TM must continue preparing its workforce for emerging disciplines while ensuring its expertise could be passed on to the next generation.
