Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah – Bernama file photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The fourth generation (4G) broadband network coverage gap in Sabah should be improved compared to the national average, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said 4G coverage in Sabah was 71.7 per cent while the national average was 88.9 per cent.
He said even though there was no offer or demand in Sabah to conduct 5G technology test, the ministry would be prepared to cooperate if there was an offer for the purpose.
“In terms of 4G coverage, the national average is 88.9 compared to 71.7 per cent in Sabah…the gap needs to be improved,” he was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Mohamad Alamin (BN-Kimanis) during question time at Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad was enquiring whether the ministry’s strategy would ensure the achievement of the target level of 98 per cent broadband coverage in urban areas by 2023 with a speed of 30 megabit per second so that 5G could be implemented effectively throughout the country especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
Saifuddin said there were 115 internet centres in Sabah under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
He said the ministry would further enhance these premises as they function as content provider for eRezeki and Perkhidmatan e-Dagang Setempat (PeDas) programmes as well as a connectivity centre.
Meanwhile, he said 472 communication towers had been completed to date while 71 towers were still in various stages of implementation in Sabah.
This included upgrading 1,163 transmitter stations on existing communication towers in Sabah and 34 of them were in Kimanis parliamentary constituency.
For fixed broadband service, Saifuddin said the government was carrying out the Sub-Urban Broadband (SUBB) and Rural Broadband (RBB) projects to provide high-speed broadband in urban fringes and rural areas nationwide.
Apart from that, to improve the quality of fixed broadband service, the initiative to upgrade the network based on copper to fibre optic would be carried out in which 43,879 customers in Sabah would be upgraded in two years.
He was replying to the original question on how far has National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) 5G exhibition been implemented and the number of areas still under 2G and 3G usage in Sabah especially in Kimanis constituency. – Bernama