While Malaysia is now actively developing a 5G network throughout the country, it is still a network technology that is used in certain locations only, with 4G and broadband networks still being the basis for the people's connectivity to the internet network.
In Pahang, Exco Communications and Multimedia Fadzli Mohammad Kamal answered a question from the Sabai assemblyman about the Pahang State Government's efforts with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in improving internet access and services in the state.
He said that efforts to increase access in the state are underway, and the state government is working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) through four main programs.
First is the development of 270 new 4G substations that are being developed across the state. 79 towers have already been installed, and another 191 are under construction and are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
In the meantime, 902 existing 3G network substations have also been upgraded to support the 4G network, and this project has already been implemented, further expanding the reach of the internet connection network for the people of Pahang state.
For broadband connection, the government has already connected 120,759 premises to the fiber optic internet network, through which a number of citizens and businesses in the state of Pahang can subscribe to Unifi internet services and so on. It is expected that another 30 thousand premises will be connected to the broadband internet network by the end of this year.
One of the focuses of the JENDELA program is also to increase internet network connections to indigenous villages (KOA) throughout Malaysia, and Pahang is one of the states with the highest concentration of KOA population in Peninsular Malaysia.
So far, it has been reported that all 69 KOAs throughout the state of Pahang are now present with free internet connection using satellite internet services.
According to MCMC, the 4G network coverage rate in the state of Pahang has increased from 89.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020 before the JENDELA project was implemented, to 94.31 percent in the second quarter of this year. It is expected that the percentage will increase again when the first phase of JENDELA is completed.