Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1) is expected to roll out its P1 W1MAX service, which provides wireless broadband Internet access, in Sarawak and Sabah by the first quarter of next year.
P1 chief executive officer Michael Lai today said the company has received the necessary approvals to deploy its WiMAX broadband, seen as crucial in achieving the national household broadband peneration of 50 per cent by next year.
“We are looking forward to meeting a massive demand for quality broadband in both states while spreading the benefits of next-generation high-speed wireless broadband,” he said in a statement in Kuching.
He said the household broadband penetration rates of only 13.6 per cent in Sarawak and 9.5 per cent in Sabah at the end of 2008 were still very low compared to the national average.
With P1 WiMAX primed to meet the tremendous demand for broadband in Sarawak and Sabah, he said, cities and towns such as Kuching, Miri, Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau would be able to enjoy its broadband service as early as in the second quarter of next year.
Lai said P1, with the fastest wireless broadband network in the country, expected to contribute positively to the economy of both states, especially within the small medium enterprises/small medium industries (SME/SMI) community and local state industries, including tourism.
P1 WiMAX could cost effectively deliver broadband access to more areas faster compared to current boradband technologies, especially in remote and underserved areas within geographically diverse locations like Sarawak and Sabah, he said.
At present it has successfully met the target of 25 per cent population coverage in the peninsular.– Bernama
