Give Sarawak more funds to implement telco infrastructure, Liwan tells Putrajaya

KUCHING (March 21): Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication (Telecommunication) Datuk Liwan Lagang has called for commitment and close cooperation from the federal government especially in providing more funds for the implementation of telecommunication infrastructure in Sarawak.

Pointing out that Sarawak needs about 7,000 telecommunication towers and structure to achieve full coverage, Liwan noted that at the moment, there are about 3,500 telecommunication towers and structures that are already in operation.

He hoped that the telecommunication coverage in the populated areas will be significantly improved upon the completion of Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) Rural Telecommunication (SMART) by the Sarawak government and Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) by the federal government.

“The current 4G network coverage in Sarawak is only 54 per cent of the populated areas. There are many rural areas yet to be provided with telecommunication services,” he said in a statement today.

Liwan was responding to a statement by Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil who said the current 4G network coverage in Malaysia is 97 per cent of populated areas.

In response to Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching’s intention to work closely with the Sarawak government as reported in the media recently, Liwan hoped that discussions could be held to improve the internet coverage in Sarawak.

Liwan said since the state only heard of Teo’s visit to Sarawak through the news, it would be more meaningful if his ministry is notified of such a visit in the future.

He said the government recognises that access to reliable communication is essential for economic growth.

“In the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 which is a comprehensive plan to steer Sarawak towards a high-income economy region by 2030, one of the key enablers to accelerate the economic growth is through Digital Transformation.

“Indeed, given the responsibility to develop telecommunication infrastructure lies with the federal government, the Sarawak government still intervened and complemented the effort of the federal government and spent RM1.89 billion to fast track the telecommunication development especially in the rural areas.

“This showed our commitment and seriousness to provide full coverage to our people and reduce the digital divide in the rural areas and communities of Sarawak,” he said.

Liwan said the Sarawak government has put a lot of effort into improving the telecommunication coverage in Sarawak.

To achieve this goal, he said the state government has established the regulatory framework on digitalisation, namely Sarawak Multimedia Authority Ordinance in 2017 to regulate the activities with regard to digitalisation matters in Sarawak.

“Subsequently, government agencies such as SMA and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Berhad were set up to spearhead and facilitate the development and implementation of the communication, multimedia and the Sarawak’s Digital Economy initiatives, including the development of telecommunication.

“In early 2022, the function of telecommunication was vested under the purview of the then Ministry of Utilities, making it what is known today as Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak.”