Maxis Berhad, Malaysia’s leading integrated communications service provider has launched the country’s first integrated e-book service with the help of Alcatel-Lucent.

Maxis Berhad will provide access to an extensive digital library with content in the various (local) languages, and accessible via a wide range of devices.

According to Juniper Research, worldwide mobile e-book sales will represent a market opportunity of $9.7 billion by 2016 (growing from $3.2 billion in 2011). At the same time, however, non-English speaking markets are underserved by the traditional players in this space, many e-readers are only available in a few countries and finding content in local languages typically is a challenge. Malaysia is a “textbook example” of this: a relatively small, multi-ethnic and multicultural society where many different languages are spoken.

Backing the government’s project to continue to develop Malaysia as a leading knowledge society, Maxis Berhad has engaged with Alcatel-Lucent to launch an extensive library of e-books  novels as well as scientific publications that can easily be accessed via a wide range of devices including tablets, dedicated e-readers and PCs. Currently, the library includes approximately 300,000 international and local books. The total number is growing weekly.

The service runs on Alcatel-Lucent’s cloud based Digital Media Store (DMS), enabling Maxis Berhad to launch their e-book offering quickly and with limited upfront capital investment. DMS also allows Maxis Berhad to provide recommendations in line with customers’ preferences bringing consumer engagement to the next level.

T. Kugan, Maxis’ Vice President and Head of Product, Device, Innovation & Roaming said, “Maxis has recognized the shift towards digital content and with the launch of Maxis e-books, we are looking at providing Malaysian readers with the hassle free experience of browsing, purchasing and reading their favourite local and international books on their tablets or PCs. This will also provide local publishers, authors and educational institutions with a formidable platform that makes it possible for them to reach a larger audience.”