By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Aug 3: The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is looking to provide better Internet coverage in rural areas especially in Baram constituency.
Its deputy minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said the ministry through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as of June 2020 has built 43 telecommunication towers and upgraded 46 existing communications transmitters at the communications towers in Baram.
“There are also six additional new telecommunications towers which are being built in Baram.
“At the moment, the ministry and MCMC are planning with industry players and various government agencies to identify populated locations in the interior such as Long Apu, Long Spigen, Long Palai and so forth in the Baram constituency.
“We want to provide better quality and Internet coverage using various technologies to the rural community in the near future,” he said in his reply when responding to a question from Baram MP Anyi Ngau in Parliament today.
Anyi had asked the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia to state the status of applications for telephone lines and Internet services for villages and longhouses at Long Apu, Long Spigen, Long Palai and so forth in the Baram constituency.
Anyi added that there are more than 400 settlements in Baram which require telecommunications services.
Thus, he proposed that the ministry provide the ‘Wi-fi connect me’ services at settlement areas in Baram especially in downstream Marudi such as Rumah Assam, Rumah George and Rumah Ngelingkong.
On another note, Zahidi said MCMC is studying the use of satellites and other technologies to provide Internet connection and coverage for rural communities.
He said through the National Digital Infrastructure Workshop (Makmal) organised by the ministry from July 13 to August 14, the ministry will analyse thoroughly on how to bridge the digital connectivity gap between the rural areas and towns.
He explained that it is important to narrow the digital connectivity gap so that the government is able to empower entrepreneurs in rural areas to make use of the Internet for online business. — DayakDaily
