By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 13: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will assess whether telecommunications towers under the JENDELA 1 and Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (SMART) 600 projects can be utilised for 5G expansion, in a move aimed at strengthening connectivity for rural communities in Sarawak.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said MCMC is working closely with various stakeholders to ensure existing infrastructure is fully optimised, particularly the 600 towers being built under the SMART initiative.
“At present, these towers are intended for 4G connectivity. However, in Phase 2, I have instructed MCMC to study whether towers under the JENDELA 1 and SMART 600 projects can be utilised for 5G expansion,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today during the ministerial question-and-answer session, as reported by TVS.
He was responding to a question from Betong MP Dato Dr Richard Rapu on measures to ensure rural Sarawak communities also benefit from 5G technology, and whether there are specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and timelines for achieving the coverage.
Fahmi said the main challenge in deploying 5G in rural areas is maintaining stable data transmission speeds, in addition to developing tower clusters for optimal performance.
He stressed that bridging the digital gap is not dependent solely on 5G, pointing to the role of 4G networks and satellite internet services (VSAT) in improving rural connectivity.
“From time to time, the ministry will review ways to improve these facilities to ensure the Internet can be fully utilised for local prosperity,” he added. — DayakDaily
