KUCHING: Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said yesterday he wants to ensure that all Malaysians, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak, enjoy an Internet service of international standard.
He said Sabah and Sarawak’s many mountains and remote areas could prove to be challenging but the problem must be overcome.
“The government has to ensure that all Malaysians have access to the Internet. The ministry wants to emphasise on an Internet service of world-class quality with minimum speeds of 10 Mbps and 40 Mbps in a good environment,” he said when interviewed at SARAWAKfm, a radio station at Radio Televisyen Malaysia, Kuching.
Gobind also emphasised the cost of using the Internet, saying the ministry wanted consumers to be charged a rate that was not too high.
“If the cost of using the Internet is too high, some people would not be able to afford it,” he said.
Gobind said that after providing adequate Internet infrastructure and facilities, the government would have to have programmes which educated the people on the use of the technology to improve their standard of living.
“One thing that I can see with the provision of Internet facility in rural areas is many small traders can use it to widen their markets,” he said.
He also said that access to the Internet was not limited to business but encompassed banking, education and medical fields which also benefited from the facility.
“For example, many people go to their banks to check their accounts. However, with the Internet, they can do banking chores online,” he said. – Bernama
