Zaidi (seated centre) giving the briefing to MCMC delegation led by Adiman (third right) at SMA office in Kuching yesterday.
KUCHING (Nov 24): Land owners in Sarawak are called on to allow the government to utilise their land to build more than 1,000 towers on their land in the next one year.
In appealing for their support, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak said under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) 636 towers will be built, and an additional 300 towers will be built by the Sarawak government, through Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC); with 300 towers now under implementation.
In total more than 1,200 towers are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
He pointed out that he understood the people’s sentiment over land, which is always close to the people’s hearts as it is priceless and the matter can be very sensitive.
“The government understands that land matter is always a sensitive issue to mention. However, there is an urgency to build these more than 1,000 new towers in order to improve the current connectivity.”
Zaidi said, since the implementation of Sarawak Linking Urban Rural (Saluran) initiatives which started in January 2021, the coverage areas have increased to 54.2 per cent currently, and are expected to increase to 93.6 per cent by December 2022.
“Additionally, there is an improvement in 4G coverage with the completion of 150 Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (MySRBN) and 71 National Digital Network (Jendela) sites. This is further boosted by upgrading the current 2G and 3G networks to 4G network so as to provide better internet connectivity.
“This is in line with our target to provide internet penetration of more than 90 per cent by 2025 so that Sarawak can achieve high-income economy by 2030,” Zaidi said after briefing the MCMC delegation led by its director Adiman Ajem to SMA office here yesterday.
Zaidi explained that any land acquisition by the government is carried out by the Land and Survey Department.
“Insofar as land acquisition is concerned, the Land and Survey Department will carry out acquisition which includes terms and conditions on such issues,” he said.
He added that all the sites of the 636 towers have been identified, and thus, hoped that the local communities where the sites have been identified to give their full cooperation and allow their land to be used and utilised to build these towers.
“With better connectivity, most people will get connected to the internet. And with better connectivity, people can participate in digital economy such as buying and selling online and get connected with their loved ones in other cities,” he said.
Zaidi stressed that internet connectivity must be used responsibly so that it could bring benefit to them.
“So, don’t let this opportunity be washed away from your sight. Use this tool to earn more income. Even if it means only RM10 a day, it’s still income. Even RM1 per day is still income. Or you can offer your services in rural areas by providing guide to tourists who come and visit your place. These are simple examples on how to leverage from this internet connectivity,” he said.
Meanwhile, MCMC Sarawak director Adiman Ajem revealed that MCMC will have to invest RM4.01 billion to build the 636 towers, which include upgrading of 4G network, fibrilisation and satellite internet solution.