Julaihi said more than RM5.9 billion is needed to achieve 99.9 per cent telecommunications coverage in Sarawak by 2030. — Bernama photo
KUCHING (May 24): Sarawak will request for more Universal Service Provision (USP) funds from the federal government to expand telecommunications coverage, said Datuk Julaihi Narawi.
The Utility and Telecommunication Minister said this is necessary because mobile coverage in Sarawak is still low.
“The total budget required to implement telecommunications initiatives is estimated at more than RM5.9 billion to achieve 99.9 per cent coverage by 2030,” he said during his ministerial winding up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
To ensure comprehensive coverage of telecommunication services in Sarawak, Julaihi said 3,471 telecommunication towers have been erected to date while another 1,043 towers are being developed in stages until the third quarter of 2023.
The remaining 2,486 towers will be erected from 2025 to 2030, he said.
“Of the 3,471 towers completed, 3,186 towers are operational while 285 are equipped with telecommunication equipment and will be fully operational (on-air) by the end of 2022.
“For the record, out of 3,471 telecommunication towers operating in Sarawak, a total of 584 telecommunication towers were built by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC),” he said.
To provide internet facilities for Sarawakians, the state government through the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), has established and implemented the Sarawak Linking Urban, Rural and Nation (Saluran) initiative, he said.
“This initiative is a proactive intervention by the Sarawak government to provide connectivity in Sarawak as a catalyst for the digital economy, with six key initiatives.
“The Sarawak government has allocated RM1.89 billion to implement these initiatives,” he said.
Among them include the construction of 600 new towers equipped with telecommunications equipment under the Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (Smart) project; expansion of SarawakNet services through the Digital Socio Economy programme to 60 sites throughout Sarawak; and implementation of fixed wireless broadband services through the MySRBN package.
The minister added the subsidy for telecommunications services in rural areas provided for free so far through the Saluran initiative stood at RM305.5 million per year and the programme benefitted 470,000 users.
To further overcome connectivity problems in Sarawak, Julaihi said Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology is also used.
“Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) is a technology that allows the sharing of transmitter equipment as well as spectrum, which can be used by various different operators, such as Celcom, Digi, Maxis, and U Mobile.
“All these new towers will use MOCN technology, which has advantages in terms of cost savings as well as more efficient use of spectrum. This means that any telecommunications service (provider) can be used if the tower is equipped with MOCN technology,” he said.
He added the Smart tower in Luban Ulu, Betong – launched by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in 2020 – was the first MOCN tower in Malaysia.