BELAGA: To realise the Sungai Asap Digital Village initiative, the open network implementation in Sungai Asap needs to be stepped up to parity with the Sebauh open network model.
Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon pointed out that the Sungai Asap area is not served by the optical fibre Internet network link that is present in the Belaga area.
“The landline connection to Sungai Asap is very important as part of the effort to transform this area into a digital village.
“Banks cannot operate in Sungai Asap if there is no fixed Internet line, as they need big data to deal with their customers, and we cannot forever depend on mobile banking services,” he said after being briefed on the telecommunications network in Belaga recently.
The briefing was delivered by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Sarawak branch director (Development) Scott Kueh Sui Yek and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) senior planning executive Amir Firdaus Awangku Ismail at the Belaga District Office.
Chukpai noted that the Sungai Asap Digital Village initiative will benefit 20,000 villagers from 15 longhouses, two primary schools, a secondary school, clinics, and government offices.
For the record, the Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg agreed to the proposed implementation of the high-speed open broadband network project in Sungai Asap.
As such, Abang Johari also suggested that the digitisation pilot project implemented by the Sarawak government in Sebauh be done in Belaga and Sungai Asap.
Meanwhile, Belaga assemblyman Datuk Liwan Lagang, who is also the Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications, said that the state government hopes that every corner of Sarawak will be equipped with a telecommunications network.
“We don’t want any students to miss online public exams or youths who miss interview calls because of Internet problems, because the matter would be very upsetting.
“I also hope that the parties who build these telecommunication facilities will go to the field and find out the situation on the ground themselves instead of through desktops and develop cooperation with the resident office, district office, or service centre to provide more accurate data,” he added.
Also present were Kapit Resident Galong Luang, Belaga district officer Bidah L. Lujah, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) Central Region engineer Helestine Lium Rolland Duat, and SMA technologist James Bungan.
