Systems Development & Applications (2002)
SES Astra
In the for-profit sector, SSPI recognizes SES Astra for developing and bringing to market the Broad-Band Interactive System (BBI), which was the first commercial use of the Ku-band spectrum to forward multimedia information via geostationary satellite to small dishes, and of the Ka-band spectrum to receive in the return direction similar information or to transfer files using the same satellite and dishes.
The Malaysian University of Sarawak and the Canadian International Development Research Council (joint award)
In the nonprofit sector, the Malaysian University of Sarawak (Unimas) and the Canadian International Development Research Council (IDRC) share an award for the E-Bario project in Malaysia, in which Internet access was provided to a generator-powered PC via a Telekom Malaysia satellite circuit in Bario, a village located in the remotest highlands of Borneo.. Bario residents (known as Kelabits) have begun to use the Internet to, among other uses, learn world prices for the variety of rice they grow, which is renowned throughout Malaysia for its sweet fragrance, the better to bargain with local middlemen.