KUCHING, Feb 19: Some RM53 billion worth of investment will be rolled out in the next 10 years to strengthen the country’s 5G ecosystem using the internet and cloud services in real-time to enable immediate sharing of information, revealed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today.
Among others, RM15 billion will be invested in 5G implementation projects nationwide over the next 10 years; RM1.65 billion will be invested by several telecommunication companies to strengthen connectivity to the international submarine cable network until the year 2023 and RM21 billion will be invested over the next five years through the National Digital Network or Jendela programme to strengthen the existing connectivity.
Additionally, Cloud Service Provider (CSP) companies will also be investing RM12 billion to RM15 billion over the next five years.
“With this, Malaysia will be one of the first few countries in the region to build a 5G ecosystem using the internet and cloud services in real-time, to enable immediate sharing of information,” said Muhyiddin at the virtual launch of MyDigital and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint in Putrajaya today.
The Prime Minister said, the 10-year plan will open up more space for faster and more stable international data transfer, thus lowering internet costs to consumers in Malaysia.
“The 5G technology will serve as a “game changer” as more smart services with direct impact will be made available for the well-being of the people.
“5G technology not only promises better and faster internet access but, more importantly, it also enables various important applications to be in the hands of end-users, including health monitoring applications for chronic patients, smart emergency assistance, and special applications for senior citizens who are living alone,” he said.
Muhyiddin stressed that MyDigital has mapped out initiatives and targets, to be completed in three phases by 2030.
This included the target for the digital economy to contribute 22.6 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provide 500,000 jobs in this sector.
Muhyiddin added that the government would be assisting 875,00 micro enterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to transition to e-commerce.
“The initiatives under MyDigital will also catalyse 5,000 start-ups within the next five years. This initiative will also be a starting point to attract RM70 billion in domestic and international digital investments,” he said.
He reiterated that the government is also targeting for a 30 per cent increase in productivity levels of the economic sector by 2030.
“For the public sector, all agencies would provide cashless transaction facilities as the “main option” by 2022,” he added. — DayakDaily
