Shabery wants bigger 11MP fund for devt of communications infrastructure

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THE development of telecommunications infrastructure to improve the quality of broadband services in the country requires a bigger allocation than what was initially provided by the government.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said to achieve the target of having 95 per cent of the populated areas in the country to enjoy the convenience of broadband, the number of telecommunication towers need to be increased, with each costing up to RM1.9 million.

“At the ministry level, we have to think about how to achieve this target as the investment (government’s allocation) in the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) for this purpose is only about RM300 million.”

The minister said this when winding up the debate on the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK11) for his ministry at the Dewan Negara sitting yesterday.

He said among the work to be done was to forge closer cooperation with the private sector to increase investment from the industry players.

Ahmad Shabery said the key performance indicator (KPI) set for the ministry was to ensure that residents in urban high-impact areas would be able to access the Internet at the speed of 100Mbps, while those in suburban or rural areas, at least 20Mbps. – Bernama