12MP: Government committed in bridging digital gap - PM Ismail Sabri

When tabling the five-year plan (2021-2025) in the Dewan Rakyat today, he said the government was aware that digital technology had greatly shaped the lives of the people.

He said the government would bridge the digital divide especially between rural and urban areas due to differences in broadband infrastructure, through the provision of digital infrastructure facilities.

"In this regard, the Internet Centre, Rural Internet Centre and Rural Community Centre will be transformed into the Malaysian Family Digital Centre to provide better and integrated services.

"It will be expanded to facilitate locals involved in e-commerce, skills training, learning and community activities," he said.

Ismail Sabri said the implementation of the National Digital Network Plan or JENDELA would provide 100 per cent 4G coverage in populated areas, wider 5G coverage, and fixed line broadband to nine million premises by 2025.

"As of August 2021, 94 per cent of the populated areas have 4G coverage while the speed of mobile broadband services has reached 29.1 megabits per second and more than 6,000 premises have access to fixed line broadband services.

"The 5G technology network will be launched at the end of 2021... these various digitalisation initiatives are expected to support the target of achieving 25.5 per cent contribution from the digital economy to the growth domestic product (GDP) by 2025," he said.

He said measures to accelerate the adoption of technology and innovation would focus on digitalisation and advanced technologies, including Industrial Revolution 4.0 (4IR) technology.

"Earlier this year, the government launched the MyDIGITAL agenda and the National 4IR Policy. Policy planning, implementation and monitoring of 4IR initiative and national digitalisation are coordinated through the National Digital Economy and 4IR Council," he said.

Ismail Sabri said the provision of digital infrastructure involved public and private sector investment, worth RM28 billion to improve the existing 4G network and to speed up the implementation of 5G nationwide, another RM15 billion would be invested by the private sector.

"The National Digital Identity development project is being carried out to create a secure and reliable identity verification and electronic certification platform," he said.