The National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative missed its target for base station upgrades so far this year, with flood issues cited among the reasons for the delay.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Datuk Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek explained that they hit 89% of the target for Q1, and faced a shortfall due to lack of accessibility caused by floods and the monsoon season, which exacerbated issues for remote areas.
During a Jendela update briefing, he explained that there was also a material shortage and approvals pending from several state agencies, which also held up the progress.
This was the first time Jendela had missed targets for base station upgrades, as it had exceeded targets in 2021 (13,807 towers or 110.5%) and in 2020 (16,367 or 100.9%).
The Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) via satellite also was below Jendela’s targets, with 798 of the 839 sites (or 95.1%) getting access.
The three states that saw a shortfall were Kelantan which completed 11 of 18, Sabah (105 of 138) and Sarawak (522 of 523).
Dr Fadhlullah explained that there was a unique issue with providing Internet access for Orang Asli villagers, as some were nomadic and would move outside the areas with access.
“From our communication with the community, there is a demand for Internet connectivity, especially for those that want access to education,” he said.
The BWA access was also free for the first two years, with the cost borne by its Universal Service Provision (USP).
Asked if there was an alternative for satellite coverage, he said the remote nature of the areas made it an unlikely choice for rolling out telco towers.
Jendela was on target for premises passed with fibre connectivity, hitting 179,666 (or 105.7%) of the target of 170,017 premises.
The deployment of new 4G towers also hit its target of 60 new towers for the first quarter.
Dr Fadhlullah said the improvements in terms of new towers and base station upgrades over the last 18 months resulted in an increase of median speeds from 15Mpbs to 25.81Mbps currently.