Annuar Musa wants telecommunication facilities on Sabah islands to be upgraded

SEMPORNA: Telecommunication facilities on populated islands as well as islands that are popular among tourists here should be upgraded as quickly as possible, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said it should be prioritised for the convenience of the people as well as to support the tourism activities in the islands that are contributing to the country's economic recovery and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"For example, the nearest telecommunication tower could send signal 11 kilometres to the Sipadan Island, so I want to see a broadband service (internet) coverage on the island as soon as possible," he said adding that he wanted to ensure that all tourist and populated islands have telecommunications plan to provide 100 per cent area connectivity.

He told this to reporters after visiting four security posts here today.

He said if the islands are not listed under phase two of the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela), a special project should be implemented to carry out telecommunication development works which will be prioritised.

Annuar said the majority of the projects under phase two of the initiative which will be implemented from next year until 2025, will involve Sabah and Sarawak.

"The total allocation of Jendela is approximately RM4 billion and phase two seeks to provide satellite broadband in about 1,400 locations that are too remote for the fiberisation technology and this is to ensure that the areas are not left behind," he said.

In another development, Annuar, who is also a member of the National Security Council (MKN) said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakub is aware of the issues related to the Pala'u children in Sabah, adding that the matter will be discussed by the council.

He said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have highlighted the issues plaguing the children who could not attend school as they do not have citizenship documents, adding that this matter should be looked into for the sake of their future.

-- BERNAMA