In a media statement that was not sent to MalaysianWireless early this month, Telekom Malaysia (TM) announced that it will be upgrading the Internet speeds of Pusat Internet Kampung Pinggan-Pinggan, Pitas, Sabah.
Operated by Telekom Malaysia, this will be the first Pusat Internet in Sabah to enjoy fibre Internet speeds up to 300Mbps.
The Telecommunication company is expecting Veveonah Mosibin to benefit from this initiative although she will need to travel about 11km from her village, Kampung Sapatalang, to visit Pusat Internet Kampung Pinggan-Pinggan. TM said that they are “beginning to address the issue” and “still exploring various methods to reach rural communities like her”.
Last month, the story of Veveonah Mosibin made headlines as the student had to climb a tree to get stable 3G Internet connection, to sit for her exams. To date, none of the mobile Telecommunication companies have made any announcement to address on the poor mobile coverage.
According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), at the moment, there is a Telecommunication tower located as far as 1.4 kilometer from Kampung Sapatalang in Pitas where the student is based. This tower offers 3G coverage and there was a plan to upgrade the site to 4G under the Universal Service Provision (USP) fund since early this year. But it was never upgraded.
MCMC plans to implement proper mobile coverage in Kampung Sapatalang with a new Telco tower in a nearby village called Kampung Bilangau Kecil. This process by MCMC will take up to one year to complete (2Q21), under its National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP 1).
Full media announcement by Telekom Malaysia (TM) below.
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Championing its purpose to increase reach and connectivity to all Malaysians
True to its commitment to continue expanding its network infrastructure to serve a more digital lifestyle and society, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through TM Sabah today furthered its efforts towards increasing reach and connectivity to all Malaysians, especially in the rural areas.
The initiative becomes more essential as Malaysians need to utilise various digital and online tools in adapting to the new normal in life following the Covid-19 pandemic, thus increasing the demand for faster connectivity. For a start, TM will be upgrading the internet speed at Pusat Internet Kampung Pinggan-Pinggan, Pitas, Sabah to up to 300Mbps towards fulfilling the demand from the communities there and the surrounding areas. This is part of the Company’s Corporate Responsibility initiatives that serve three (3) pillars – Economic, Environment and Social (EES) – to benefit more Malaysians in an increasingly digital era; true to the Company’s vision “To Make Life and Business Easier for a Better Malaysia”.
Dato’ Hj Mohd Sainal Mohd Amin, Regional Director of TM Sabah said: “We are ecstatic with this initiative to boost the internet speed at Pusat Internet Kampung Pinggan-Pinggan, Pitas, making it the first Pusat Internet in Sabah to enjoy speeds up to 300Mbps. We are also happy that Veveonah Mosibin will also be able to benefit from this initiative as this is the nearest Pusat Internet from her village, Kampung Sapatalang which is about 11km from here. Veveonah recently had to sit for her online examinations from a tree top to get access to the internet. This is one of the ways that we are beginning to address the issue and we are still exploring various methods to reach rural communities like her.”
Over the years, TM has been continuously investing in its infrastructure covering both urban and rural areas to provide connectivity reach and internet accessibility via its convergence suite of offering from unifi Home, Mobile and Wireless. This includes the provisioning of last mile connection at rural and remote areas nationwide, including in Sabah.
“Sabah has a wide spread of remote areas and we, at TM, are committed to addressing the challenges in expanding our network coverage and reach via our fit for purpose connectivity technology to serve those whom we are unable to serve via fixed technologies. As the national telecommunications infrastructure provider enabling Digital Malaysia, we aspire to empower the communities with innovation and technology towards serving a more digital society and lifestyle, digital businesses and industry verticals, as well as digital Government towards improving the quality of lives of Malaysians,” added Dato Sainal.
Pusat Internet Kampung Pinggan-Pinggan is equipped with IT equipments and 20 desktop computers connected to broadband Internet access. TM also provides public access via WiFi surrounding the Pusat Internet area. A facilitator is available to provide guidance and lessons to the community centre members on using the Internet and the facilities available. The centre also offer free ICT training and provide assistance to individuals who are interested in starting their own e-business. Open day programmes involving community leaders (local champions) as well as all community in the surrounding areas are part of the activities conducted by TM to stimulate interest amongst the community to utilise the facilities.
For more information on the Company’s other Corporate Responsibility initiatives, visit www.tm.com.my/sustainability/.
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