KUCHING: A total of 587 5G sites are in the pipeline for Sarawak by 2024.
In stating this, Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi said this will give 59.6 per cent coverage in populated areas in the state.
“Currently, 218 sites have been commissioned. This will unlock a broad range of opportunities, including the optimisation of service delivery, decision-making and end-user experience,” he said.
He said this in his address at the Digital Economy Leaders’ Summit 2023 in conjunction with Smart Nation Expo 2023 at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur yesterday (Sept 19).
As for the 4G coverage, he disclosed that Sarawak is at 61.6 per cent and is expected to reach 93.87 per cent by the end of 2023 with the commissioning of Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (SMART) 600, National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (JENDELA), Clawback and other broadband initiatives.
“The Sarawak government’s strategy is to build digital infrastructure to widen the coverage and provide connectivity, especially to rural communities.
“With Sarawak’s vast landscape, it is estimated that we will need 7,000 telecommunication structures to achieve 99.9 per cent internet penetration throughout Sarawak,” he said.
Having said that, Julaihi pointed out that 600 towers are to be built under the SMART project while the federal government has also allocated an additional 742 new towers to be built in Sarawak through the JENDELA.
Meanwhile, as part of the Sarawak Linking Urban, Rural and Nation (SALURAN) – Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (SALURAN-MYSRBN), the state has pioneered a groundbreaking state-owned 4G ready and 5G Oriented Broadband Telecommunication Network.
“In far-reaching areas, the Sarawak government has equipped 250 sites with Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) under the Wi-Fi SALURAN project.
“This is an interim solution to give internet access to the underserved community which 86,562 users have benefited to date.
“Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has also equipped 523 sites in Sarawak with VSAT,” he said.
He stated that the state government together with the private sector is actively developing and adopting green data centres in Sarawak.
“These data centres are poised to become the primary hubs for global and state data storage, management and dissemination.
“Irix has already operationalised a Tier IV data centre in Sarawak, the only Tier IV data centre in Malaysia and others are in the planning and deployment stages,” he added.
