GEORGE TOWN – The Communications Ministry’s focus for the upcoming Budget 2025 will be to continue its ongoing efforts to expand and improve internet connectivity, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that the ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will work on boosting internet connectivity in remote areas, rural areas and islands.
It will also work on equipping schools with Wi-Fi facilities.
Additionally, Fahmi said that the ministry will be working on rectifying the delays in the implementation of the Point of Presence (PoP) project, which involves the setup of 5G infrastructure hubs near rural schools, acting as central points for fibre optic broadband access. The delay was flagged in the Auditor-General Report 2024.
PoP is a hub where different devices can connect to each other and to the internet. By setting up PoP locations, people in rural and remote areas can get better and faster internet services in their homes, instead of relying on mobile internet.
“This is what we are working on and we would work together with the Education Ministry.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also recommended us (the Communications Ministry) to focus on internet problems in the public universities.
“I have instructed MCMC to immediately discuss with the Higher Education Ministry to identify the campuses that need help with their internet connectivity,” he told the reporters at the sidelines of a Komuniti Madani event at Batu Uban, here, yesterday.
Phase 1 of the Point of Presence project began in 2020 and was supposed to be completed by the end of 2022. According to the audit report, 358 sites, or 56.83% of the 630 schools, saw delays.
Fahmi also said that this delay took place when his predecessors helmed the ministry. – October 6, 2024