KUCHING: Sacofa Sdn Bhd (Sacofa), the leading ICT infrastructure company in Sarawak, has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
These are strategic collaborations to further enhance and broaden the coverage of telecommunications services in Sarawak.
The first MoU was inked with Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd (Danawa) while the other was with PP Telecommunication Sdn Bhd (PPTEL).
Sacofa was represented by its managing director Mohamed Zaid Zaini while Danawa was represented by its managing director Abdul Rahman Sepawie. PPTEL deputy chairman Datuk Stanley Ling Tiung Leng was the signatory for the company.
The ceremonial exchanges of MOU documents were witnessed by the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg during the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (Idecs) 2020 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Wednesday (Oct 7).
Sacofa and Danawa will explore collaboration on “Fixed Wireless Access” to provide internet connectivity to rural communities within Sarawak while Sacofa and PPTEL will explore collaboration on telecommunications infrastructure initiatives to benefit the state of Sarawak.
These collaborations are aimed to further improve and expand the implementation of wired and wireless internet services in Sarawak, in support of the state government’s vision for Sarawak where all sections of society would enjoy the benefits of digital connectivity.
According to Zaid, the collaboration is the way forward for Sarawak’s telecommunications ecosystem where the industry players will work together and collectively draw on each other’s strengths for the greater good of the state and its people.
“Sarawak with its large geographical area and low population density presents a challenging environment for rollout of telecommunications services. As home grown Sarawak-based industry players, we are coming together to collaborate on improving the facilities and services as well as avoid duplication of resources.
“Sacofa has always been focused on delivering on the Sarawak government’s agenda, especially on the backbone of the Digital Economy as envisioned by the chief minister. With the establishment of these strategic collaborations, we are more dedicated than ever to improving Sarawak’s telecommunications industry,” he highlighted.
Meanwhile, PPTEL is playing a pivotal role in building the underlying infrastructure to support the Digital Economy, giving Sarawak access to global internet content through new high capacity submarine connectivity. These cables will provide new and alternative routings into the global market and allow access to PPTEL’s Tier 4 Data Centre located in Kuching, expected to launch in 2021.
This local presence will reduce delays (latency) in the network, providing an attractive Edge location for application providers to host services. With this infrastructure, PPTEL aims to become an alternative hub to existing hubs in the region (such as Singapore and Hong Kong) with all the benefits of Sarawak’s green energy and available space.
PPTEL is already offering secure IP Transit services to meet the current surge in demand for data seen from retail and enterprise customers, and is ready for the expected growth over the coming decade. These services will be accessible throughout Sarawak in collaboration with Sarawak Energy Berhad’s terrestrial fibre infrastructure.
Additionally, Abdul Rahman remarked, “Danawa believes that the inked MOU will further expedite and smoothen the roll out of high-speed internet broadband network throughout remote areas of the state that shall benefit the rural community significantly. In return, this will complement the state government’s agenda in digitalising the state’s economy and thus bringing the rural community closer to the world.”
