Annuar: 839 locations installed with broadband wireless access

KUALA LUMPUR: Internet access using satellite technology has reached the full target where 839 locations have been installed with broadband wireless access (BWA) which instantly provided broadband coverage, especially in rural areas including in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Orang Asli villages.

Minister of Communication and Multimedia Tan Sri Annuar Musa said there are still about 1,400 locations that needed BWA services.

"In the meantime, the ministry has approved the establishment of a special committee on the standardisation of costs, charges and fees for the development of communications infrastructure in the states to deal with non-uniform charges and fees imposed by local authorities (PBT).

"This establishment will ensure the smoothness and continuity of communication infrastructure development projects in an area, apart from encouraging service providers to increase investment in the provision of communication infrastructure as a whole, to improve broadband connectivity in urban and rural areas," he said.

He told this to reporters after attending Malaysia's National Digital Network (JENDELA) steering committee meeting here today.

Annuar said the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia (K-KOMM) would try to standardise and harmonise some rules that are mainly related to the standardisation of costs, charges and fees that currently differ between states.

"Furthermore, within the same states, there are PBT that uses different terms and charges," he said.

Meanwhile, Annuar said K-KOMM has started implementing Point-of-Presence (POP) project and hoped for the cooperation of PBT in ensuring the smooth running of the project.

Earlier, it was reported that the government is installing PoP fibre optic network hubs in 700 rural schools in Sabah to provide stability to the broadband internet services in the state.

According to the steering committee's briefing, the implementation of JENDELA in the second quarter of 2022 showed encouraging results and is on the right track to achieve the full target of Phase 1.

-- BERNAMA