KULAI: The progress of the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela) project has reached 30% with the completion of over 700 communication towers nationwide, says Teo Nie Ching.
The Deputy Communications Minister said a total of 1,661 towers are to be built under the project, which was launched in 2020 to boost connectivity and Internet services.
“Some 492 of the 716 completed towers nationwide are now fully operational. Currently, Internet coverage in the country stands at about 97%.
“There are still many areas that have limited Internet coverage, especially in Sabah and Sarawak,” she said in a press conference after visiting a telecommunication tower at Kampung Murni Jaya 2 here.
She said that the ministry was not satisfied with the performance of contractors involved in the project in Sabah and Sarawak as they were behind schedule.
“Among factors that have contributed to the delays in the two states was due to the fact that some of the sites for the towers do not belong to the government.
“They belong to the locals. As such, we would need to get their consent, and not all would agree to it. Either way, we are not satisfied with the contractors’ performance and will give extra attention to these two states,” she said.
Teo said that only about 50% of the project has been completed in Sabah, while in Sarawak, 20% still needs to be completed.
Jendela was launched in September 2020 to provide quality broadband coverage and boost Internet access nationwide.
It also aimed to provide fibre optic broadband access to nine million premises, expand 4G coverage in all populated areas and increase broadband speeds to 100 Mbps by the end of 2025.
