Govt to ensure affordable, quality broadband services for B40 group
KUALA LUMPUR: High-speed broadband (HSB) penetration rate for households nationwide reached 81.8 per cent as of April this year, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.
He said to ensure that more Malaysians get to enjoy broadband services, especially those in the B40 group, the government had strived to provide terrestrial broadband services.
“In developing the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, the government, through the Communications and Multimedia Commission, worked hard to provide terrestrial broadband services, such as 3G and 4G services, which are cheaper and more stable than satellite services.
“Not only that, the ministry also ensures that telecommunications companies offer basic packages at low prices,” he said.
The B40 group refers to the bottom 40 per cent household income group in the country.
“For example, the basic mobile broadband package ranges from RM20 per month, while Telekom Malaysia Bhd also offers a basic broadband package of one megabyte per second at RM38 per month,” he said in reply to a question from Senator Datuk Chai Kim Sen at Dewan Negara.
Chai wanted to know the penetration rate of HSB using fibreoptics in the country, and the effort taken by the ministry to reduce HSB prices so that more people could enjoy it, especially the B40 group.
Salleh said the government, in collaboration with industry players, had embarked on communications infrastructure development to ensure 95 per cent of broadband coverage was achievable by 2020.
“Satellite technology has been used in the broadband services using the Very Small Aperture Terminal in remote areas in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
“The ministry finds that satellite technology is not a solution to improve the nation’s broadband services as it has weaknesses.
“The weaknesses include limited capacity, high operational and maintenance costs, as well as unstable services in the event of weather disturbances and power supply shortages.”