SEBUYAU: Sarawak is lacking in its local manpower for the installation of telecommunications equipment, said Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications Datuk Julaihi Narawi.
He said that currently 70 per cent of the workers who install telecommunications equipment in this state are brought from Sabah or Peninsular Malaysia.
“Only 30 per cent of the workers are local Sarawakians.
“Therefore, efforts are being actively carried out by the Sarawak Centre of Technical Excellence (CENTEXS) to train more Sarawakian workers to have skills in the installation of telecommunications equipment,” he said.
He said this in his Facebook post, after conducting a work visit to the construction of telecommunication towers in Kampung Seberang Sebuyau, Kampung Kesindu and Kampung Skitong, in Sebuyau, on Thursday.
Julaihi who is also the Sebuyau assemblyman also said that the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are actively building and upgrading telecommunications towers throughout the state.
“When a telecommunications tower is built, it will take three to five months to complete the installation of telecommunications equipment.
“After that only the tower which is complete with equipment can be fully used,” he said.
Regarding the visit, he told that the telecommunication towers in Kampung Seberang Sebuyau, Kampung Kesindu, Kampung Skitong and Kampung Mambai have been set up.
“While the construction of the tower site in Kampung Entangor has just started.
“As for the tower in Kampung Tungkah Melayu, it will be tendered soon.
“Besides that, the tower in Bajong is being upgraded with its telecommunications equipment and the tower in Ladong can now be used,” he explained.
For the record, as of last October, Sarawak has built 3,471 of the 7,000 telecommunication towers targeted to be built to increase Internet coverage in the state.
