Local craft: Fahmi (centre) visiting an exhibition during a community event in Krokong. With him are his deputy Teo Nie Ching (left) and MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din (second from right). — Bernama
BAU: Sarawak has received the highest allocation of RM4.46bil under the National Digital Network (Jendela) project to boost its connectivity and Internet services, says Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the project was implemented by the Federal Government through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“Of the total, RM2.93bil involves allocation from the government, while the remaining RM1.53bil is commercially provided by service providers,” he said in his speech at the Digital Economy Centre in Krokong, as reported by Bernama yesterday.
The Jendela project, he said, had two phases, which were aimed at enhancing connectivity coverage and the quality of Internet services for the benefit of the people, the business sector, and other stakeholders.
“A total of 864 4G telecommunication towers have been planned for Sarawak through Phase 1.
“As of the second quarter of this year, 213 towers are operational, while the remaining 651 towers are scheduled to operate in stages until the third quarter of 2024,” he said.
The Sarawak government, said Fahmi, had facilitated the construction and upgrading of the Jendela towers, refurbishing 3,689 of the 3,735 existing transmitter stations.
The rest will be upgraded by the fourth quarter of this year.
On MCMC’s target to expand high-speed broadband services using fibre optic to 207,135 residential and business premises, he said 106,331 premises had been provided with the service, while works would be carried out for the remaining 100,804 premises by the fourth quarter of 2024.
“The positive impact of the Jendela plan in Sarawak has already been felt.
“As of the second quarter of this year, 4G coverage has reached 87.52% in populated areas,” he said, adding that 322 of the planned 587 5G sites had also been successfully completed in the state.
As of Aug 31, he said the 5G network coverage in populated areas in Malaysia had reached 68.8%.
“The ministry, through Digital Nasional Berhad, is committed to realising the government’s aspiration to achieve 80% 5G coverage in populated areas by the end of this year, with the country switching to a 5G dual network model as early as January next year,” he added.
