Graphic shows Sacofa’s fibre infrastructure connectivity. (SOURCE: Sacofa)
KUCHING: SACOFA Sdn Bhd (Sacofa), Sarawak’s leading ICT infrastructure company, is praising the recently-launched National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) which will further build the infrastructure to enable rapid growth of digitalisation, bridge the digital divide, and catalyse the next phase of economic development in Malaysia.
In support of this national initiative, Sacofa remains committed to making its contribution to the expansion of existing telecommunication network infrastructure to accommodate the growth of the telecommunications industry in Sarawak, especially the rollout of upcoming advanced platforms in the near future such as 5G and proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT).
“We are in full support of the NFCP as this massive undertaking will further build the foundation which will enable the country to be positively transformed and developed,” Sacofa managing director Zaid Zaini said.
“The quality of digital services in our daily activities such as shopping, payment, travelling, and working will be notably expanded and improved. More businesses will go online and e-commerce will see robust growth due to availability of high-speed internet and cloud services.
“We realise the huge role Sarawak plays in Malaysia with respect to the NFCP due to the sheer geographical size as well as rural and remote areas here. We are pleased that our internal strategies and plans already covers most of the targets and goals of the NFCP in Sarawak.
“Hence, we have constantly engaged with federal agencies to ensure we are in line with the government’s telecommunications development plans.”
Zaid added that ever since its formation almost 20 years ago, Sacofa had diligently built the backbone of the telecommunications industry via the construction and management of towers and laying of more than 10,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable to enable telecommunication services coverage across Sarawak.
In addition, the company built the East-West Submarine (EWS) fibre-optic cable system spanning 956 kilometres from Buntal to Mersing, Johor to enable interconnectivity to Peninsular Malaysia and undersea interchanges in Singapore and Indonesia.
It has formed transboundary partnerships for international gateways to support and improve Sarawak’s connectivity to the world. It is also working with multiple providers to set up internet exchanges which will drive down prices of internet services.
Sacofa’s proprietary FTTX platform Sacofa Open Fibre Infra Access (SOFIA) launched in January 2018 provides a turnkey solution to enable service providers to connect to its vast network and provide for broadband services for consumers. With the entry of multiple providers, SOFIA allows healthy competition in the market which in the long run will bring down prices.
To summarise, Sacofa’s vast network of fibre-optic cables, telecommunication structures, EWS and SOFIA are in place and ready for expansion to accommodate the needs of long-term growth in line with both the NFCP’s objectives and Sarawak Government’s plans, Zaid pointed out.
Sacofa had taken proactive initiatives in giving back to society via Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes such as SACOFA4U where the installation of Wi-Fi services on a pro bono basis in needy and underserved areas had provided access to internet connectivity for those communities.
These activities in 11 locations to date have brought about notable positive changes in these communities in terms of access to online resources for education, research, e-commerce, banking and so on.
These CSR activities have helped narrow the digital gap in underserved communities and are aligned with the government’s view that internet connectivity is a utility and basic human right to be accessible to all segments of society whether in urban or rural areas.
As such, the long-term goal of providing equal access to connectivity will empower those who previously had not enjoyed the benefits of digital services, such as inhabitants in rural and remote communities.