The team working hard trying to create the best marketing strategies for high fibre broadband

By Sotirios Athanasoulias

Tuesday 28 August 2018

We are already nine days in Malaysia. Nine days full of new experiences and positive vibes. This week we joined the Coverage department and we are learning how to survey residential areas for their fibre optic potential. Right off the bat we got to work on a live project based in Penang island. We had to divide the potential development areas, count the number of houses and classify them according to type. Other important tasks included making a survey and plans for positioning the cabinets in a cost effective way and proposing new infrastructure. I thought that our team worked really well together and with Jimmy’s (Leader of the Coverage department) guidance we ended up with an outstanding solution.

After having a lunch break at the company’s restaurant we went back to the office for the second half of this day. I have to admit that I am not still used to the spicy flavours of Malaysian food and chicken with rice have are my staple diet here. However, I feel really excited about the opportunity to discover new “tastes” and cultures.

Back at the office we met all the members of the Coverage team and we divided into 4 different groups. The team leaders of my group were Andy Lee and Annu and we set out to meet and sign two potential customers. While we were waiting in the lobby I had the chance to talk to Andy Lee about his work background and I was really motivated by his dynamic personality. It was contagious. The first client was a 60 floor building located in KL ecocity.

The chairwoman of the building was a really tough customer and Andy and Annu had to negotiate really hard. They started by speaking about TIME’s values as a company, explaining why other big customers in the area have already selected them and highlighting their advantages over competitors. After an hour Andy and Annu managed to win over the chairwoman and seal the deal. Our next customer was a construction company developing a building in one of KL’s upmarket areas. The building is still under construction and is expected to be completed by next year. We met with the head of the company, who was really keen on working with TIME.

So we ended the day on a high, closing 2 deals and a lot of hours of work and gaining experience with the members of Coverage team.

Three of the interns ready to meet potential TIME customers

Wednesday 29 August 2018

Today was probably one of the busiest days that we have had since the start of the internship. We started off the day by meeting members of the Project Implementation department, who taught us about the technical points and the basic principles of the project implementation Inside Plant (ISP). We learned to distinguish between different types of buildings, including Non Pre Laid Building, Pre Laid Building-Centralize Cabling/Non Centralized Cabling and the step by step procedure of installing a fibre network system.

Back at the Coverage department we joined the Service Specialist team and attended a meeting with a customer, a building developer whose building will be ready next year. Shukri, the Service Specialist we were assigned to explained that his job is to inform the building manager about the installation and ensure that all the arrangements have been done on time.

The second half of the day was spent with the project manager of the company Naren who taught us how to install fibre broadband cables. We had the chance to see this procedure with our own eyes in a few areas in the city and learned how the fibre broad band network is expanded to new regions.

After that, we had the chance to see a SDF room and understand how the fibre network comes to our houses. In our way back from this long day we decided to stop in an open market area and taste the local fruit Durian Kawin (King of fruits). Once you try it it becomes clear why Durian consumption is prohibited in public spaces and elevators. It has a strong and distinct taste and smell. None of us liked it and we wish we hadn’t taken such big bites of the fruit at first.

It was another busy day in Malaysia full of new experiences and I am already looking forward to the next.