MCMC: Complaints filed to Jendela Map help telcos know where to upgrade

MCMC says its Jendela Map was directing telcos to upgrade Internet connectivity based on consumer feedback, with over 18,000 reports filed since the map was launched in July. — MCMC

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has received over 18,000 complaints via its Jendela Map service, which it’s using to determine where to improve Internet connectivity.

During the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela) fourth quarterly report, MCMC chairman Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek said the map was being used to crowdsource coverage info, and inform telcos where digital infrastructure was still lacking, among others.

He revealed that it took an average of three to four days for the telcos to respond, though resolution depended on how complex the solution was. For instance, installing a new tower would take much longer than boosting the signal in an area.

The upgrades were meant to hit the mandatory minimum quality of service, and failure to do so could result in the telco being issued a compound, according to the report.

The Jendela Map was introduced in July, enabling the public to check the mobile and fixed Internet coverage in their area and submit feedback or complaints on issues like connectivity downtime, coverage problems or dropped calls.

He said the service recorded 189,041 visits between July 9 and Sept 30, with the majority of visitors using it to check network coverage (162,862). Of those, 18,247 submitted feedback.

Feedback falls under four categories: reports on wireless broadband service, fixed broadband service, cellular service, and the status of free-to-air TV.

Unlike other connectivity trackers, the Jendela map does not display the Internet speed in a selected area, though Dr Fadhlullah said users should get a minimum speed of 5Mbps on average, while Internet speeds could be much higher in some areas.

As of Sept 30, the average mobile speed recorded by the Jendela report was 31.34Mbps, up from 25Mbps in August 2020.

The number of premises passed with fixed broadband access had hit 6.427 million premises, an increase of 1.47 million over the same period – up from 4.957 million.

He said the number of fiber optic premises passed (378,449) had far exceeded the target for the third quarter, which was 179,013 premises. This was an increase of 211.4% over the Q3 target.

There were also 67 new 4G towers installed as of Q3, bringing the total number of towers installed under Jendela up to 1,025.