Moment of truth for Netvigator M'sia on July 6

KUALA LUMPUR--Come July 6, lifestyle portal Netvigator Malaysia could announce a shutdown, a downsizing of operations or even a complete shift to a new business model.

The company remains tight-lipped about its next move but a source said in an interview that the dot-com downturn has affected Netvigator portals in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Canada as well as Malaysia.

PCCWIMS (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the operator of the portal here, is awaiting directions from its Hong Kong-based parent company, Cable & Wireless HKT IMS Ltd. The latter is a Pacific Century CyberWorks company.

It is believed that the local operator has been awaiting such directions for the last six months.

Even though rumors are rife that Netvigator Malaysia would shut down next month, it may still survive if its parent portal in Hong Kong reverts to a subscription-based model for its content.

"Hence, the remaining portals will have to wait and see what Hong Kong does first," the source added.

Another possibility touted is that the Malaysian office may be converted into a sales office to support Hong Kong operations.

The local office has 11 staff but none of them are believed to have resigned or offered a voluntary resignation scheme, the source said.

Netvigator Malaysia claims to have 20,000 members in the age group of 19 to 35.