KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — A total of 312 Point of Presence (PoP) areas have been completed nationwide as of March 31, with 32,448 premises ready to enjoy high-speed internet services.
Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said the project is part of the National Digital Network (JENDELA) initiative to ensure wide internet coverage nationwide, especially in rural areas.
“PoP is the provision of a fibre optic hub, which is one of the alternatives to ensure that the broadband infrastructure network and coverage can be better extended to areas around schools and in rural and interiors nationwide.
“This will make locations near rural schools a hub to provide fibre optic broadband infrastructure for the use of schools, industrial areas, government premises and the surrounding communities within a radius of 2.5 kilometres (km) to three kilometres,” she said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2023 for the ministry in the Dewan Negara today.
Teo said that, in total, phase one of the project will involve 630 locations, while phase two will involve 3,693 locations near schools in rural areas nationwide.
According to her, this will benefit at least 432,300 premises, which will receive high-speed broadband services when the project is completed in 2025.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2023, announced an allocation of RM725 million for digital connectivity in 47 industrial areas and almost 3,700 schools.
Meanwhile, Teo said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has yet to receive any complaints from any party about obscene advertisements in online news portals.
She urged the public to lodge complaints with the MCMC or the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) if they come across such advertisements.
