KUALA LUMPUR: One of the biggest achievements of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry this past year is the strengthening of telecommunications infrastructure and connectivity against the backdrop of accelerated digital transformation in all sectors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) was launched by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last September to expand coverage aggressively and drive Malaysia towards better digital connectivity.
The target for this year is to provide fixed-line connectivity to 7.5 million premises, expand 4G coverage to 96.9 per cent of populated areas, increase the average speed of mobile broadband to 35Mbps and shift all 3G spectrum to 4G.
In anticipation of rapid digital transformation, the government also accelerated the 5G rollout earlier than scheduled. "According to the initial plan, the implementation of 5G will only start at the end of next year.
However, we brought it forward to the end of this year," said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah in a special interview in conjunction with the Perikatan Nasional government's one-year anniversary.
"The implementation of 5G will drive the development of Malaysia's digital economy towards MyDigital's aspirations by 2030."
He also outlined three advantages of the deployment of 5G through the special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by the government.
One of the benefits of the SPV, he said, was it enabled the government to roll out the deployment of 5G one year ahead of schedule.
"The deployment of the SPV would also enable us to reach places that no one could. "The third benefit is the rakyat will pay less once the technology is available.
This is because there will be a 'single highway' that will be built by the SPV and it does not involve capital from telecommunications service providers.
"Hence, we are very confident that the charges incurred will be lower."
Saifuddin said the ministry aimed to shut down 3G by the end of the year and ensure everyone enjoyed 4G connectivity. "By then, we will be better prepared for the arrival of 5G technology."
Another battle that had to be fought in the past one year during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was against the spread of fake news.
Saifuddin said: "It reached a level where you know it is fake news, but you could not do anything about it."
This led the ministry to set up a rapid response team that would issue notifications to counter the spread of fake news and provide people with accurate information. Although the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had the authority to nab those spreading fake news, Saifuddin said he wished more could be done to address the issue.
Nevertheless, he said, the ministry was committed to ensuring there was systematic dissemination of information on Covid-19.
"In the first National Security Council meeting chaired by the prime minister (during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic early last year), the ministry immediately proposed the establishment of a communication system for Covid-19.
"This is to ensure people have access to accurate information. "This led to the appointment of two spokesmen alongside the prime minister on Covid-19. For health, it was Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
"For non-health matters on enforcement and implementation of standard operating procedures (SOP) during the various Movement Control Orders, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was the spokesman."
In the past year, he said the ministry had resolved the problems faced by 379 piecemeal workers at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), a long-standing issue since the 1980s.
He said the issue was resolved following the decision by the government to appoint the affected workers through contracts of service.
The ministry, he said, had also enhanced its e-Commerce programmes, such as Perkhidmatan e-Dagang Setempat (PeDAS), which is an initiative to help rural entrepreneurs market their products on e-commerce platforms, with facilities available at the Rural Internet Centres (PID), the eRezeki programme and Global Online Workforce (GLOW), which has benefited 422,273 people.
The Pakej Rangsangan Industri Kreatif Malaysia (Prisma), worth RM89.2 million, launched by the National Film Development Corporation (Finas), had benefited more than 9,000 people and companies in the creative industry, with the creation of 40,000 jobs.
"When we talk about people in the creative industry, it is not only those directly involved in the production companies, as well as actors and singers, but also caterers and operators of transportation companies.
"Having said that, we hope that the creative industry can be among the main contributors to the country's growth under the 12th Malaysia Plan."
While the country was busy addressing the health and economic crisis due to the pandemic, Saifuddin stressed that cybersecurity remained intact and secure.
"Alhamdulillah, I am thankful that we have successfully ensured the safety of the main systems used by the government and private sector." He said the ministry was formulating an anti-cyberbullying act.
"We are preparing the paper. We have commissioned the Multimedia University to do a survey of the situation.
"We cannot underestimate this problem. It is better to be prepared."