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decades, Asian industries have seemed
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Inquirer Features In the last few years however, regional suppliers such
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Announcements leap of faith to the forefront, casting themselves in the
Stocks retail shelves and spotlights, and facing customers GALLERY 1
Currencies worldwide carrying their own names.
Job Market
Here in the Philippines, Butuan-based broadcast
Peso-Dollar Rate
electronics company Marjeds Systems Inc. (MSI,
Property Guide
www.marjeds.com) is similarly throwing its hat in the
Bizlinq global game, behind its own brand, Digital ST.
+ Columnists
+ OPINION Digital ST is MSI’s stamp on its line of broadcast
+ GLOBAL NATION equipment for digital radio, TV, cable and satellite
+ SERVICES systems. The Digital ST product portfolio includes
ABOUT US broadcast transmitters, satellite uplink and distribution
ADVERTISE facilities and equipment, as well as set-top boxes.
MSI’s big, hairy and audacious goal is to be a key
player as the broadcast media industry inches closer
INQUIRER ALERT
toward full digitalization.
Get the free INQUIRER
newsletter An ambitious goal, perhaps, but one that MSI majority
Enter your email address:
owner and CEO Ed Millana, 39, believes the company
is prepared for. After all, he himself has trained for this
moment since Grade 5.
Submit Zoom
Yes, Grade 5.
ED Millana with his sales agent
In 1984, Ed Millana’s father unexpectedly received a
call to take on a job in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He
Affiliates hurriedly prepared for his overseas contract, but was
left to settle one last item of business before his trip:
what to do with an already paid-for non-formal course 100% Renewable Energy
in electronics at the Agusan National High School in By Dennis Posadas The cover story in the
Butuan? Gamely, his fifth-grade son took his slot. Six November issue of Scientific American contends
months of entire Saturdays at school later, Ed Millana that renewable energy can already theoretically
finished the course, topped his class and even power 100% of energy needs, and to ...More
graduated with honors.

In high school, Ed carried on his passion for


electronics, repairing television sets and Betamax
video-cassette player-recorder units from his home-
based shop. He later began his tertiary education at
Urios College in Butuan, where he earned a
certification as an electronics technician, before moving
to Manila where he earned an Electronics
Communication Engineering degree from the
University of the East in 1995.

Following a two-year stint with electronics company


WEC, where he mastered the R&D and design aspects
of radio communications equipment, Millana returned
to Butuan in 1997 to become an entrepreneur. He
founded MSI with a starting capital of P10,000. His
company’s business initially consisted of more repair
work on radio communications equipment.

MSI’s big break came in 1998, when it was


commissioned by Keppel Communications as a sub-
contractor to survey prospective cell sites in Cebu for
Globe Telecom. Two years later, SMART
Communications hired MSI to build cellsites for its new
digital GSM network, a contract that soon expanded to
over 250 cell sites. Apart from SMART, MSI also built
some 50 cell sites for Globe Telecom.

In 2006, with a worthy war chest from its lucrative cell


site construction contracts, MSI decided to invest
heavily in research and development, spending on
software, test equipment and engineers.

The gamble paid off, as MSI began bagging contracts


for R&D work from Chinese and Korean original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It was also awarded
IN THIS SECTION MOST EMAILED MOST READ
projects by UK defense contractor Racal
Communications.
Making life easier on the fast lane
Three years later, armed with experience and expertise From the brains to a brand
as a subcontractor, MSI decided it was ready to break Secret behind Berting’s success is an Andrew
in to the scene with its own brand. In 2009, MSI
secured permits from the National Telecommunications More Stories »
Commission (NTC) to manufacture and distribute
broadcast electronics equipment. The company
subsequently began producing its own Digital ST-
branded products.

Today, MSI’s Digital ST equipment is all over the world.


In the Philippines, its transmitters are used by the likes
of Progressive Broadcasting Network and block timer
UNTV. Abroad, Digital ST equipment has been brought
by MSI resellers to customers in several countries—
even those on the leading edge of broadcast
electronics themselves, such as EMC in Germany,
RRSat and Sentinel-SMG LLC in the United States,
and SET Ltd in Georgia. A Digital ST satellite encoder
even reportedly sits on a rack of a Fox affiliate in the
US.

Apart from selling its own equipment, MSI now is also John Fernando
(BRIDAL GOWN /
the regional representative of foreign brands in the ENTOURAGE)
booming broadcast electronics space. These include 9B Re-Raon Street corner P.
the Israel-based LiveU brand of backpack satellite Guevarra Barangay Little
uplink equipment. Baguio San Juan Metro Manila,
Philippines 1500
“The Filipino has always been known to be crafty, Contact No.: (0915)505.1215
brainy—in our own lingo, ‘wais,’” says Millana. This has Email:
estilofernando@gmail.com
served us well in supporting foreign business, whether
as subcontractors or as service providers, he explains.

“The challenge—and opportunity—for all of us now,” he Goshen Baguio


shares, “is to move up to the next level and bring our Wake up to cool mornings.
own brands to the rest of the world.” Come home to Goshen where
the old Baguio Charm is
restored and celebrated

Copyright 2011 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.

RELATED STORIES:
Robot attends Russian school to help sick schoolboy
Samsung Electronics buys Dutch LCD firm
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IN THE KNOW: Shades of Jurassic Park
Scientists to resurrect long-extinct mammoth
Sen. Estrada hits P4-B aviation deal
Telcos expand e-cash services
Cell phone blacklisting—a big lie?
Foxconn engineer jumps to death in China
OTHER STORIES:
Making life easier on the fast lane
From the brains to a brand
Secret behind Berting’s success is an Andrew

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