KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Digital (MD) is a new phase to take Malaysia to the next 25 years in driving the country's digital economy, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said MD is a very important phase and in line with the aspirations of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, which is to popularise economic participation through involvement in the digital economy sector.

"This coincides with the fact that the country, insya-Aallah, is moving closer to achieving 100 per cent connectivity with speeds that have exceeded 40 megabytes per second and a total of seven million premises with fixed line connectivity that enable higher quality infrastructure to be completed in the country," he said during the launch of MD in conjunction with the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) here today, which was also attended by Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin.

MD which was launched by Ismail Sabri is a programme under the country's leading digital economy agency MDEC which is enhanced to replace MSC Malaysia which has been in existence for 25 years.

Annuar said previously the fourth prime minister had introduced an initiative to celebrate the emergence of the world of information, communication and technology (ICT) by launching MSC Malaysia at that time.

"MSC is only focused on a specific area where the elements of ICT, ICT companies are beginning to set foot in our country and play a role in developing the economy," he said, adding that since then, ICT has gone through a rapid phase of development.

"The launch of MD marks a new phase, a process of re-engineering, reinventing the MSC unquestionably related to the economy and infrastructure to enable the participation of the people based on what was once the agricultural sector and products.

"(But) now the country is very dependent on economic knowledge, hence this is the appropriate and historic moment created by the ninth prime minister," said Annuar.

MD will enable Malaysia to be better prepared to face the dynamic economic environment and assist in strengthening the foundations of the digital nation to be stronger and the impact will benefit the people, businesses, government and the country.

-- BERNAMA