KOTA KINABALU – The lengthy process in acquiring land to build telco towers in Sabah is the main reason why internet access has been a problem in the state, said Sabah Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) director Izani Othman.
He said the acquisition of land to construct telecommunication towers will take between three and six months despite the land belonging to the state.
“The process of buying land is indeed taking a long (time), but we are now working with the state Science, Technology Innovation Ministry, the Local Government and Housing Ministry and the Land and Survey Department to speed up the process.
“Special officers were also given power by the Land and Survey (Department) to allow access for projects under the Jendela programme to speed up the process and approvals,” he told reporters at a town hall session on Sabah internet policies held at the Tanjung Aru Library here today.
Izani said the 4G internet service has improved mainly in populated areas from 73.4% in 2020 to 90.33% in the fourth quarter of 2022 under Jendela following the construction of new towers and the upgrading of existing ones.
He said the MCMC has set the year 2025 to achieve full internet access statewide, but believed the state will never achieve 100% internet coverage due to the opening up of residential lands.
“Theoretically, we are targeting 100% internet access but we need to take note that there are new villages opened up every year.
“So the 100% target will be impossible to achieve, so we targeted 97.98% as an achievable goal,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, who was also present at the townhall session, wants the state to speed up the implementation of internet services as a third utility in Sabah.
Tangau noted that the internet is already a basic human right especially in terms of education, communication and commerce.
“Internet access should be a part of the government policy and incorporated under infrastructure to facilitate the agencies to carry out their role in making the internet available,” he said. – The Vibes, March 31, 2023
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