MCMC is committed in boosting telecommunication facilities in Orang Asli villages

MCMC said, as of last October, 61 telecommunication towers had been developed in the areas of the Orang Asli villages while eight towers, including in Pos Lemoi and Pos Kampung Telimau in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, were being implemented and expected to be completed in stages from the first quarter of next year.

‘’Eleven telecommunication towers along the Jalan Sungai Koyan route to Bertam Valley, Cameron Highlands have been upgraded from using Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology to fiber optic networks for 4G coverage.

"Nine of them, including in the Pos Menson area were completed in October last year and were upgraded to 4G coverage on November 5," MCMC said in a media statement, here, today.

MCMC said the improvement of coverage and quality of services to 4G for the Cameron Highlands area would be intensified as planned in the National Digital Network (JENDELA) plan.

The statement said, efforts to upgrade telecommunication networks to 4G services would help the Orang Asli community at Pos Menson as well as surrounding villages enjoy better internet access.

"It can support the requirements of the new norm where 2G and 3G coverage and networks, especially in rural areas, are not able to meet the growing demand for communication services.

"With the construction of the telecommunication towers, the Orang Asli communities are no longer marginalized from the outside world. They can get the latest information, acquire knowledge, conduct business with the government and conduct online business just like those who live in the city, ”it said.

Last Tuesday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah told the Dewan Rakyat that 85 new towers with 4G services would be built in 136 Orang Asli villages nationwide starting in the second quarter of next year through the Phase 1 plan of JENDELA.

"As the responsible body, MCMC will ensure that all the plannings that has been arranged in the JENDELA plan will succeed in bridging the digital divide that exists between urban, suburban and rural communities in the country," he said.