KOTA KINABALU – Kampung Gusi near Ranau will get better internet connection as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will set up broadband service with very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) technology there.
On November 23, three pupils were injured in the village after they fell 15 metres from a suspension bridge – the only place they could get internet access – when its cable snapped.
MCMC had found a temporary solution to the internet problems in the remote Sabah village, with the help of Common Tower Technologies Sdn Bhd (CTT), a state-backed company.
CTT general manager Law Chun Ming confirmed that the VSAT technology will be set up by December 15 this year, as a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts.
Izani Othman, MCMC’s director for Sabah and Labuan, had met with Kg Gusi village chief to get the background of the accident where the school students were injured.
Izani said prior to the incident, MCMC had planned to build three telecommunications towers near Kg Gusi. The locations of the towers have been announced in the tender document on November 20, he said.
He advised students not to risk their safety to search for internet connection.
In June, Universiti Malaysia Sabah student Veveonah Mosibin had made the spotlight when she had to climb a tree near her house in Pitas just to take an examination, which was conducted online.
Other parts of Sabah, especially the interior areas have been facing internet problems for many years, but the issue has recently resurfaced as students are unable to study online since the movement control order due to Covid-19 was imposed in March. – The Vibes, November 29, 2020.
