Tricubes Bhd has confirmed that it will charge government agencies about 50 sen for every email sent to Malaysians who are account-holders.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Tricubes chief executive Khairun Zainal Mokhtar stressed that users of the email will not be charged.

But they will be expected to pay an additional cost if they want their mails to be more "secure" and for encryption facilities, which are optional.

"But our default setting is a basic 'Secure Sockets Layer' (SSL) which is quite secure.

NONE "Even with the friendly emails, and without the billing, everything is through SSL. Users can also send personal emails to their friends and it would be completely free," he said.

According to Khairun ( left ), the project will target 5.4 million subscribers to its email service by end of this year.

Despite the uproar over the project, which is to be launched in July, this would mean that the company is targeting to sign up an average of 900,000 users every month.

Tricubes conceded that it is a "stretch target" for a 100 percent subscription from all Malaysians above 18 years old by 2015.

"We will do our best and target the key demographics," said Khairun.

He also clarified that to sign up for the email, the user would have to go to any National Registration Department office.

Khairun said that users can also do it by themselves with a USB-biometric device, which they will have to purchase.

1M’sia project a 'lifeline'

He also admitted that the 1Malaysia email project would be a lifeline to the company, currently facing a 'GN3' classification by Bursa Malaysia.

NONE Giving their interpretation of what the classification meant, Khairun pooh-poohed the perception that the company is "not fit to do business", "riddled with accounting irregularities", "debt-ridden", "financially troubled" and "almost defunct".

"GN3 does not stop us from doing business... We have come up with a financial plan to regularise Tricubes' financial health," he said.

Tricubes was given the GN3 classification when its shareholders' fund dropped to 50 percent lower than the paid-up capital.

This means that it would have a year to submit a regularisation plan to increase its shareholding capital and to look for new business.

And the 1Malaysia Email project is its "new business".

Asked if the company depends on the project as a lifeline, Khairun said: "This is a part of the regularisation process."

While he reiterated that the company has raised RM5.3 million from Mavcap, a government-owned venture capital company, he said that he was also confident of getting the other RM44.7 million by 2015, when the project is fully rolled out.

The balance will then come from other rights issued through equity.

When asked why private companies would want to invest in Tricubes, having no warranty of the government, Khairun said this is due to the feasibility of the project.

"They believe and they are confident in the merits of the project," he said.

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