MCMC, LLM collaborate to expand highway telecommunication coverage

New Straits Times

2 days ago

GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is working closely with the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) to improve telecommunication coverage on roads, particularly highways.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said they had identified about 50km of roads currently without coverage.
He said they would leverage the "where there's a road, there's internet" policy championed by his ministry.
"Our focus will be on highways.
"Discussions are ongoing to include several key locations in Phase Two of the coverage plan.
"Many of these sites will likely require new towers, and we will support such efforts," he told reporters after launching YTL Communications' Tanjung Asam six-way Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) base station today.
The milestone project supports the ministry's vision for a Network Infrastructure Sharing Framework (NISF).
The NISF brings together all network operators to improve mobile internet coverage for the public.
The seamless coverage across the Tanjung Asam coastal corridor provided by this new site benefits more than 500 residents and 350 daily commuters, including nearby fishing villages and underserved communities, boosting local economic development.
Fahmi, however, did not provide details about the 50km stretch of roads.
Meanwhile, he also spoke on efforts to strengthen space-based connectivity through low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
He said the government hopes to proceed with the proof of concept by the third or fourth quarter of this year.
"All this depends on the system's readiness," he said, when asked about frequent incidents of boats capsizing or drowning victims drifting as far as Indonesia.
He said the coverage might not offer unlimited range but would be sufficient to ensure anyone along the coast could contact the authorities immediately.
"Take, for example, a past drowning case in Tanjung Asam where no one on the beach could make a call.
"Now, with the MOCN base station here, such situations will be a thing of the past," he said.
As for maritime areas, Fahmi said another planned initiative called "direct-to-cell" was in the pipeline but had yet to be implemented due to technical requirements.