“We want to expedite our Internet connectivity, especially in the rural areas in Sarawak, where digital transformation is a crucial element towards achieving our target of becoming a high-income state by 2030.”
– Sarawak Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi
IN today’s digital age, internet connectivity has become a fundamental requirement for economic, educational, and social development.
However, a significant digital divide persists in the rural interiors of Sarawak which leaves communities isolated from the online world.
During the first meeting of the second session of the 19th State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, various elected representatives, especially those representing the rural communities, brought up the issue of internet connectivity and coverage.
While the state government has been doing its part in ensuring construction of telecommunication towers, there is a need for telecommunication providers such as Celcom, Digi, and Maxis to cooperate with Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to provide services in rural areas.
Last year, the state government allocated RM1.89billion to implement the Sarawak Linking Urban, Rural, and Nation (SALURAN) initiative, which included the construction of 600 new towers under the Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (SMART) project.
Another ongoing initiative by the state government to provide high speed broadband connectivity across suburban and rural areas in Sarawak is the Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (MySRBN) which targets 45,000 homes and public spaces for strong connectivity via 184 rural sites.
Moreover, the state government has pondered the idea of having its own mobile internet service provider as a long-term plan aimed at expanding internet coverage throughout the state, especially in rural areas.
This is due to the fact that the state cannot solely rely on existing telecommunication companies as their priorities are not focused entirely on the needs of the people of Sarawak.
Telco providers must realise that they have responsibilities towards the community. They should not merely see the people as cash cows and refuse to serve them when there is little profit in it.
While it is understood that businesses need profits to survive, it is definitely not asking a lot for them to ensure rural communities are equipped with internet connectivity as a means for their own survival in this day and age.
This has been going on for far too long and it has to be addressed immediately and once and for all.
According to Utility and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi, efforts to complete the construction of 7,000 telecommunication towers across the state and install them with telecommunications equipment are on track.
“Our target is to build all the towers by the year 2030, but if we can complete building them by the year 2025, then it is much better,” he said.
Julaihi said the 7,000 telecommunication towers should be sufficient to cover the length and breadth of Sarawak.
“However, we need patience from our communities because the state government is trying to make as much effort as it can to get it done,” he said.
He hoped all service providers would take the opportunity to use the towers so that people in rural areas might enjoy internet coverage.
He noted that the service providers were more focused on the urban areas due to profit consideration.
“They are looking at the bottom line of their investments but somehow, we are encouraging them to go over and extend their services to rural areas because we have built the towers,” he said.
Last week, Federal Minister of Communications and Digital Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzli conducted a visit to Sarawak to examine the internet problems faced by Sarawak.
He was made to understand that in Sarawak, SDEC had more than 600 towers but less than half of them were in operation by mobile network operators or telecommunication companies.
Following this, he assured that his ministry would instruct MCMC to call all telecommunication companies to address the issue of non-functioning telecommunication towers here due to the lack of satellite dishes within the next two weeks.
“One of the reasons I came here was to see the situation myself and look for a solution. To have quality internet, we need towers with satellite dishes. If you have dishes, inshaAllah (God willing), we will have quality internet.
“I will seek the assistance of the MCMC to reach out to all the telcos and find out why there is a delay on their side in assisting the people of Sarawak,” he said during his speech when officiating at the Jiwa Kita Madani event recently.
The internet is a basic need. It is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. With the digitalisation of services by the government as well as the private sector, there is a danger of those deprived of internet connectivity being left behind and this should not happen, not anymore.
Sarawak has been largely playing catch up and has been a mere spectator of the development happening in Malaya. We are now bridging the gap, so to speak. However, this progress will be severely dampened if rural areas remain without internet access.
