CAMERON HIGHLANDS – Residents of Kg Orang Asli (KOA) Kuala Boh can now enjoy the benefits of communication facilities, such as telephone networks and internet access, thanks to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) implementation of the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela).
Ismail Ariffin, 65, said the availability of communication facilities has changed the lives of the local community.
“Prior to this, we had to go out of the village just to make a phone call, and if there was an emergency at night, we had to wait until the next morning to be able to leave because our village is in the interior.
“Now, we no longer have to worry or have to leave home because we have the facilities in the village. We can now contact our children who are working outside the village or call for help during an emergency from the village,” he added.
He said this to Bernama during a recent visit to the village by MCMC and network provider CelcomDigi.
Ismail, who has been staying in the village since the 1980s, recalled the hard times faced by villagers during an emergency.
“When a family member died, we had to go to the nearby police station to ask for help contacting relatives outside the village to inform them about the death,” he said.
The village chieftain (Tok Batin), Masnan Nordin, thanked the government for upgrading telecommunication services in the village by providing internet facilities using satellite technology, or broadband wireless access, as well as the construction of 4G service towers.
“The villagers are truly grateful to the government. The internet has been available in the village since 2021, but with limited access, and now that the new tower is complete, we can enjoy telecommunication services just like the people in the towns,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pahang MCMC director Mohd Faisal Md Nor said construction of the transmission tower in KOA Kuala Boh was completed and in operation within six months, despite its location, which is in the interiors.
He said the KOA Kuala Boh Jendela project was able to be completed within a short time due to good cooperation between the implementing agencies.
He added that the tower offers 4G internet services with the option of multi-operator core network technology, which provides services from CelcomDigi, Maxis, and UMobile. – September 26, 2023