Photo: Measat

Measat has signed a new MoU to boost connectivity in rural parts of Malaysia. The company announced Jan. 27 that it is joining forces with Parcel365 and M2B Services (collectively Parcel365) to collaborate on the Digital Village365 initiative that aims to uplift rural communities and digital economic activities for B40 communities. B40 is a term which means the bottom 40 percent of household incomes in Malaysia.

In the Digital Village365 initiative, Parcel365 will offer logistics and ecommerce platform services as well as training sessions at locations identified by Measat. Through Parcel365’s app-based smart locker pick-up and drop-off services, rural residents can overcome the challenges of lacking a proper address for pick-up and delivery in remote villages. Sister platform Shopla365 offers ecommerce platform support and business solutions, as well as training to help villages optimize their digital economy potential.

These services will be facilitated through Measat’s CONNECTme NOW Wi-Fi hotspots, powered by its high-speed satellite broadband service, to enable digital applications including transactions, communications, training and other relevant use cases.

“At Measat, we firmly believe in the power of the digital economy, and its ability to uplift rural communities by opening up new income streams that optimize the productivity of the residents, such as the sales of unique foods and crafts. By partnering with Parcel365, we hope to introduce their logistics and business solutions to our CONNECTme NOW customers, to enable their ecommerce potential,” said Ganendra Selvaraj, Measat chief commercial officer, said in a statement.