Soon: All new housing projects must provide Internet access
Published on: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
By: Bernama
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The implementation of the policy will do away with the need for the early users in new housing or industrial projects to bear the high cost of Internet infrastructure and installation, he said.Gobind was replying to a supplementary question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) who wanted to know why the early users have to bear the Unifi infrastructure cost in newly developed areas when those who come later are not required to do so.
“We have to ensure that all new development projects, be they housing, industrial and so on, should have the infrastructure for Internet access to avert problems in the future,” the minister said.
Gobind also said that the ministry is also planning to implement the High-Speed Broadband project to provide the high-speed broadband facility in state capitals, major towns and high-impact economic areas throughout the country, including in the Lanang parliamentary constituency.
“To date, more than 23,000 connections have been provided involving the upgrading of two telecommunications stations in Lanang.
“Besides, an additional 480 connections for the expansion of the fixed-line network is under implementation and is expected to be completed in stages up to the fourth quarter of 2019, concentrated more in the rural fringes,” he said.
He was replying to a question from Alice Lau Kiong Yieng (PH-Lanang) who wanted to know the short- and long-term plans of the ministry in terms of providing Internet channels in the rural areas of her constituency.
Gobind also said that the government had implemented and is implementing a short-term initiative to expand mobile broadband coverage that involves the construction of new communications towers and upgrading of existing towers.
He said two new towers have been built and three more will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019 in the constituency.
“In addition, 26 existing communications towers have been upgraded to 3G or 4G services in the Lanang parliamentary constituency. This is on top of the 48 communications towers commercially developed in the constituency,” he said. – Bernama
