Malaysian universities successfully develop innovative energy solutions with DiGi

Malaysian universities successfully develop innovative energy solutions with DiGi
Deep Green Challenge for Change Finale graced by Crown Prince Couple of Norway

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 MARCH 2010: Challenge for Change, a competition organised by DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd ("DiGi") to inspire young Malaysians to discover new, meaningful and innovative renewable energy solutions, drew to a close today with the announcement of the winning teams at the finale.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway graced the awards ceremony and finale to present the awards to the two (2) grand prize winners.

Also present were Sigve Brekke, Executive Vice President of Telenor Group, Head of Telenor Region Asia and Chairman of DiGi.com Bhd; Johan Dennelind, Chief Executive Officer of DiGi; and students from the six finalist teams.

D'Regen from Universiti Sains Malaysia walked away with RM50,000 when they emerged as the winner for Challenge 2: Application of renewable energy solution for underserved communities in Malaysia. Feng from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak went home with RM20,000 in cash prize after winning Challenge 3: Increasing efficiency for existing micro-hydro projects.

A total of 15 teams from eight (8) Malaysian universities participated in the inaugural Challenge for Change programme, which kicked-off in July 2009 with the aim to encourage undergraduates to rise to the challenge and be part of the green revolution.

Six (6) teams were then selected for the final round where they undertook projects to design renewable energy solutions for rural, underserved communities in Malaysia.

An industry dialogue session titled "The Challenge for Climate Action: Is Industry Really Serious?" was held in conjunction with the Challenge for Change finale event. The session was attended by representatives from the communications industry, government, civil society and youth.

Challenge for Change is aligned with DiGi's Deep Green programme which addresses energy efficiency within the company's business, and broader areas of sustainability with related stakeholders. Deep Green includes key initiatives involving DiGi's network, information technology (IT) systems, building and facilities, fleet and initiatives with employees, customers, partners, and the community.

At the finale, Dennelind said "Deep Green is a core business of DiGi, and is our strategy to embed sustainable development into every aspect of our organisation. We have already invested RM40 million and are prepared to invest another RM60 million over the next two to three years.

"Challenge for Change is one of many corporate responsibility programmes we have undertaken to address global issues that impact the environment. This programme is our way to give young Malaysians the opportunity to champion the climate change cause with their peers and the community. These enthusiastic young people are the future agents of change who will lead the charge on climate issues and we, at DiGi will continue to invest time and resources in them."

DiGi is committed to spend up to RM100 million over the course of the next three (3) years on initiatives that will support the company's Deep Green agenda. DiGi was recently awarded the StarBiz-ICR Malaysia Corporate Responsibility Award for the environment category. This award, which is by nomination only, recognises companies that demonstrate outstanding corporate responsibility practices that go beyond community and philanthropic activities.

Challenge for Change
There were three (3) phases in the programme:

• Phase 1: Discover, 15 entries focusing on energy efficiency solutions for the mobile communications industry were received from participating universities. Only six (6) teams were selected to move on to the next phase.
• Phase 2: Develop, the six (6) finalist teams were each given RM5,000 seed funding, mentored by DiGi employees and provided access to relevant partners and industry experts to develop their projects. They also attended a Development Boot Camp, where they immersed in a variety of issues to help them complete the challenge.
• Phase 3: Display, finalists presented their proposals to a panel of judges, highlighting technical and socio-economic benefits of their projects

TNB Research, Ericsson, Energy Commission, Pusat Tenaga Malaysia and Intel are DiGi's collaborators in this programme. They have provided support as judges of the competition and partnered with DiGi in relation to knowledge exchange opportunities for the finalists.

About DiGi
Established in 1995, DiGi is listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad and is part of the global telecommunications provider, Telenor Group. DiGi focuses on making it easy, keeping it relevant and providing the best deals to ensure excellent customer experience in mobile and internet services. Through its corporate initiative, Deep Green, DiGi is committed to a sustainable business that is financially and ecologically responsible to all stakeholders.

Issued by:
Corporate Communications Department.