The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) plans to use satellites to deal with communication network outages during disasters. Deputy minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin said that this move would prevent disruptions such as what happened during the recent floods.
He mooted that one of the ways satellite technology could be used was to send early warning messages to the public during natural disaster situations. Zahidi specified that 5G network satellites could be used by the government.
The deputy minister clarified that mobile connections are often down during floods due to power failures causing cell towers to not function. He added that satellite technology would be used by flood management call centres and to track flood-prone areas.
Zahidi said KKMM plans on discussing with other countries that already use satellites, including those relying on 5G technology. He claimed that this solution “will not involve billions” and could be implemented in as early as eight months. During the floods last month, Celcom reported over 100 network sites were down while TM said that over 50,000 of its customers had their services disrupted.
