KOTA BHARU (March 21): The construction of 91 new telecommunication towers in Kelantan, implemented through the National Digital Network (JENDELA) since 2020, will benefit 1.8 million people in the state who will enjoy 4G network coverage.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Kelantan director Abd Mubin Mohd Zain said a total of 43 new towers were built as of December last year, while the remaining are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
He added that a total of 1,377 existing transmitter stations have been and will be upgraded to 4G network.
“Some 54,700 premises statewide have been and will be provided by fibre optics by the end of 2022.
“This figure is quite high and very good for Kelantan,” he told Bernama and RTM when visiting the communication tower site in Kampung Chengal here recently.
He added that up to December last year, the percentage of 4G coverage in Kelantan had reached 95.18%.
“It shows a positive development where the target at the national level by the end of this year is 96.9%,” he said.
He also acknowledged that MCMC faced various challenges, especially in rural areas relating to the construction of new towers in its efforts to provide good digital communication to the people in the state.
“MCMC has recently approved 35 new tower construction locations under JENDELA Phase One involving rural areas, and also 18 broadband service locations using satellite technology in Orang Asli villages.
“For example, recent floods have caused a bridge in an Orang Asli village to collapse and become impassable. The construction of the tower was also halted. We are trying to discuss with the relevant parties how to expedite the reconstruction of the bridge so that we can speed up the tower construction in the area,” he said.
He added that other challenges faced include obtaining approval from the relevant parties as each construction of tower infrastructure involves the use of land that requires approval from the state government.
When asked whether the MCMC was facing vandalism or theft of equipment such as cables, Abd Mubin said there were no reports received on such incidents thus far.
“In terms of vandalism, thus far we have not received any reports. Perhaps, they have found out most of our towers have used fibre optics instead of copper.
“Previously, we used copper, but now most are using fibre optics to reduce unwanted incidents, including cable theft and so on,” he said.