KUALA LUMPUR : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday launched Malaysia’s first free satellite TV by the country’s only satellite pay TV operator Astro. The satellite TV called NJOI is launched as part of Astro’s aspiration to make lifelong learning, information, entertainment including sports available to all in Malaysia for free, according to the company’s press release.

“Knowledge is a very important component of any highly progressive society and it is the foundation upon which a nation of excellence is built,” the prime minister said at the launch.

Astro CEO Datuk Rohana Rozhan said when the company started rolling out its services 15 years ago, it realised that it has an important role to play in narrowing the digital divide among Malaysians. She said Astro’s satellite technology had provided the most effective way to reach homes in the country, with a 50% penetration rate achieved.

NJOI will be introduced in three phases. First, Astro plans to distribute 50,000 NJOI decoders and satellite dishes to recipients under the eKasih programme.

Secondly, the NJOI service will be made available to all by the first quarter of 2012, where a customer can purchase the decoder and dish at a one-off payment, install the service and start to enjoy the 37 TV and radio services.

In the third phase of NJOI, customers can choose to buy additional content at their own discretion, from a menu of attractive content through a prepaid mechanism, which will be available by the middle of 2012.

The channels included in NJOI consist of educational channels, such as Astro Tutor TV UPSR, PMR and SPM, Astro Vaanavil’s educational belt — consisting of UPSR Neram, Manavar Mulakkam Science Capsule and Thirumbi Parkalama — as well as entertainment and information channels such as Astro Prima, Astro Oasis, Astro Awani, Astro AEC, Jia Yu, Makkal TV, CCTV4, Bernama TV, iView, iMus, TVi, TV1, TV2, Astro Xiao Tai Yang and 19 radio stations.

This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, December 21, 2011.