Satellite-Based 35Mbps Broadband Service Coming To 839 Locations Nationwide

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today announced that 839 locations throughout the country will receive broadband service through satellite. The implementation of this service is being done under the Jalinan Digital Negara (JENDELA) plan.

These areas consist of Orang Asli settlements as well as remote areas with 178 of them have been identified in Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Pahang, and Kelantan. As for Sabah and Sarawak, there are 138 and 523 locations for each state, respectively.

According to the Request for Proposal (RFP) document that the commission has published on its website today, here are the project’s main deliverables:

• Average throughput of 35Mbps per user during all three (3) peak hours, defined as: 7.00am – 10.00am / 2.00pm – 3.00pm / 8.00pm – 10.00pm.
• 60% of the subscribers in location to get an average throughput of 35Mbps.
• The network must be available at least 98% of the time in a year, excluding any scheduled downtime.

The document also stated that the satellite-based broadband service is being rolled out as a temporary solution to these areas for up to two years, while they are waiting for a permanent solution. It also said that the chosen providers have to roll out the service, which includes free Wi-Fi access for the population in the listed areas, in four months’ time.

That rollout period seems like a tall order but then again, MCMC has stated in today’s announcement that the commission expects the service to be up by October 2021. Ambitious aim aside, it is certainly an interesting addition to the JENDELA plan which already includes the discontinuation of the 3G network and 4G & fibre coverage expansion as well as to a certain extent, MyDigital’s expedited 5G implementation.

(Source: MCMC[1][2 – pdf]. Image: Wikimedia Commons, JENDELA.)