"Rising Use of Internet Expands e-Commerce Opportunities in Malaysia"

"RISING USE OF INTERNET EXPANDS E-COMMERCE OPPORTUNITIES IN MSIA" KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Bernama) -- The rising use of internet in Malaysia particularly among new generations, will expand e-commerce opportunities, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Maximus Ongkili says. He said there were 16.7 million internet users in the country and over 12 million were Facebook users. "This shows how our lives today revolve around the use of ICT," he said at the 25th anniversary celebration of .my Domain Registry here last night. His speech was read out by Deputy Minister Fadillah Yusof. Ongkili said the inclination of new generations towards technology would create opportunities for traders to offer services and goods through e-commerce which was more cost-effective compared with the conventional way. Hence, companies should explore the e-commerce potential, he added. "The ministry will continue to support creative and innovative ideas that can contribute to the development of ICT and internet-based business or transactions," he said. Meanwhile, .my Domain Registry Acting CEO Norsuzana Harun said there were 194,507 domain names ending with .my as of June 3. About 30 per cent or 55,000 were registered through the special 2U-School project that involved schools in Johor and Negeri Sembilan and the 1Nita project for women SMEs. For this year, the programmes would involve 400 school representatives from Northern Peninsula and 500 women entrepreneurs. -- BERNAMA