KUCHING: Sarawak is looking into setting up a sovereign data storage system to safeguard the state's strategic data, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
The Sarawak Premier said this would be developed in tandem with the aspiration to venture into the aerospace sector by 2030.
"I am now calculating for us to have our own sovereign data storage. Strategic data, including what natural resources we have, must be kept and known by the state," he said at state-owned telecommunications infrastructure provider Sacofa Sdn Bhd's 25th anniversary dinner here on Wednesday (Aug 5) night.
Abang Johari said Sarawak's ambition to launch its own nano satellite by 2030 would boost the state's data storage capabilities.
He said i-CATS University College had formed an aerospace faculty to train human capital for developing and launching the satellite.
"To me, data is very significant for us to move forward. This is the way I think the evolution of technology must be used, no longer based on fixed assets but also invisible assets like cloud storage.
"And with a nano satellite in low-earth orbit, we may be able to store important and strategic data," he said.
Abang Johari called on Sacofa to stay abreast of the latest telecommunications technologies in order to keep moving forward and face future challenges.
He acknowledged Sacofa's role in providing the infrastructure backbone supporting connectivity across Sarawak with 1,688 telecommunications towers and over 11,000km of fibre optic network.
"What is important now is to see the next 25 years and what is happening in the whole telecommunications ecosystem," the Premier said.
Meanwhile, state Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said Sacofa was undertaking a RM185mil network modernisation programme to strengthen Sarawak's telecommunications infrastructure.
Upon completion in 2027, it will increase the overall network capacity from 1.6 terabits per second to 7.2 terabits per second, while individual site capacity will increase from 10 gigabits per second to 100 gigabits per second.
"These enhancements will significantly improve network performance, reliability and scalability to meet the growing demands of businesses, government services and communities throughout Sarawak," Julaihi said.
He said 365 sites were ready for service under the programme as of July, while another 367 sites were undergoing modernisation.
