KUALA LUMPUR: The government aims to ensure at least 50 per cent of rural areas in the country get 5G technology telecommunication coverage by the middle of next year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government will also ensure not less than 85 per cent of rural areas obtain 5G coverage by the end of 2024.
"The remaining 15 per cent might be mountainous areas and so on that may be quite difficult to reach. We know that under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he is very progressive in terms of his ideas and vision.
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"We are carrying out this coordination because we feel that rural folks deserve it also. We don’t want when trying to get access to the internet, they have to climb up trees to get coverage. So, this must be avoided... although difficult, we can do it,” he told the Selamat Pagi Malaysia talk show programme aired on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) on Sunday (Oct 15).
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said his ministry, together with the Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa), have identified Orang Asli areas for the installation of Starlink satellite devices so that this group will also not be left behind. - Bernama
