MIKE REYNOLDS
Mike Reynolds is the president of the StarHub Group (effective Jan. 1, 2008). Before assuming this position, he was head of integrated product and marketing, responsible for the product planning, development and management of all StarHub’s products and services. Prior to joining StarHub in 2001, he was president of BellSouth China.
Last year, you were in the midst of an island-wide deployment of channel bonding. How did it go?
We launched our 100 Mbps service in December 2006, having upgraded our network to (pre-standard) DOCSIS 3.0 that same year. All that’s needed for users to experience up to 100 Mbps is a DOCSIS 3.0-enabled cable modem. Any user accessing sites under our content-collaboration program Velocity can also experience ultra-high broadband, no matter what speed they subscribe to. Basically, it allows the traffic to the Velocity site to go at the top speed of the modem, either 100 Mbps if it’s a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, or 32 Mbps if it is a prior model.
You launched an online storage business service that can scale to 2 TB. Could you tell us more about the technology and this service’s features?
The Online Storage Business service offers a secure and convenient platform to transfer, deliver, share and store files, regardless of size or format. It lets users store and backup files safely, send and share information effortlessly, and access documents on the go. Users can share information in real time, by letting colleagues or business partners access the uploaded files from their notebook, PC, smart phone or other wireless devices. Because of the compression of files, the speed of transfer is fast. The files are encrypted, so that ensures security. The service also has the ability to transfer files to any valid email address, even including non-subscribers.
Have you approached the business market with other new services?
Yes, we do offer consultancy and professional services that help find the right info-communications solutions for companies in order for them to enhance their company’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. Our five core offerings cover wide area network optimization, network vulnerability assessment, IP voice readiness, small-to-medium enterprise Internet integration, and project management.
How has your partnership with the Limelight Networks content distribution network proceeded?
We partnered with Limelight Networks as part of our strategy to bring content locally into Singapore via our Velocity program. Clearly, with higher bandwidth speeds available, there is also a need to ensure that customers have content in which to use the available bandwidth. Hence, we created Velocity, a comprehensive Internet hosting program designed to cater to the needs of content and value-added service providers around the world who want to have access to the 68 million Internet users in Southeast Asia.
How did your 3G and HSPA upgrade go? You launched services in August? How have you found Huawei as a partner?
The 3.5G upgrade went very well, indeed, and the launch at the end of July/early August was successful from a technical aspect. Since launch, the take-up rate has also been strong, so it was a commercial success as well. Huawei has a very aggressive roadmap for HSPA development, which we are excited about, and they have been a strong partner.
Could you comment on StarHub’s new advanced multimedia services unit, and on the "pfingo" application in particular?
StarHub’s advanced multimedia services (SAMS) is a new business unit within StarHub that leverages the company’s competencies in mobile and broadband to pursue market opportunities with emerging multimedia technologies. A key feature is that the services promoted by SAMS are network-agnostic and borderless. SAMS’s maiden launch portfolio is pfingo, an innovative mobile Internet service suite that provides a consistent and user-friendly experience for messaging, communication and entertainment services across the mobile phone and PC in a single and integrated application.
