Awang Tengah (5th left) with the BR1M recipients.
LAWAS: The state government has spent RM1 billion on providing high impact telecommunications infrastructure and fibre optic network in the state,
Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said this at the opening ceremony of Lawas Fibre Optic project and presentation of BR1M to 1,296 recipients at Lawas basketball court yesterday.
He also said the project undertaken by Sacofa Sdn Bhd includes laying of undersea cables from Kampung Buntal, Kuching to Mersing in Johor, construction of towers and development of fibre optic network.
“The government has put up 702 telecommunication towers and 8,000 kilometres of fibre optic,” he added.
He commended Ministry of Communications and Multimedia and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission for implementing broadband service in the rural areas.
He further said the Ministry of Public Utilities adopted a three-pronged strategy to further reduce the digital gap in the state.
Spearheaded by Sacofa, he said the first phase is to develop the Trans-Borneo Super Highway in collaboration with Brunei for a high speed broadband network from Sarawak to Sabah.
Under the second phase, Sacofa will develop a high speed broadband network in Kapit town, Sungai Asap Resettlement, Limbang, Lawas and Marudi to enable the people there to enjoy 3G and 4G/LTE services.
Subject to financial resources, the third phase is to step up the quality of broadband to reduce usage of Very Small Aperture Transmission (VSAT ) in remote areas, he added.
He said Sacofa had developed a 93km fibre optic network linking seven telecommunication towers in Lawas, thus enabling the district to receive 3G and 4G broadband services.
Also present at the function were Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office Datuk Mohammad Naroden Majais, Limbang Resident Datuk Maria Hasman, Lawas district officer Hussaini Hakim and Sacofa CEO Sudarsono Osman.