Malaysian telcos are expected to explore satellite internet for mobile phones to increase accessibility in the country, especially for those who live in rural areas with no internet access. This is according to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who stated that 2.7% of the areas in Malaysia still require basic 4G coverage.
With that, he revealed that the Ministry of Communications and Digital and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are currently researching on resolving this lack of coverage with satellite technology, which he hopes will be in use by 2025.
“It means that in a remote area where there is no line at all, if the telco provides satellite service to the device then we will have Internet wherever we are”, said the minister, explaining that there are satellite technologies that allow them to provide direct lines. Meanwhile, he confirmed that his ministry will soon announced a second network entity for 5G services once coverage has reached 80% of populated areas.
Apple currently has an emergency satellite text service in certain countries while the Huawei Mate 60 Pro is capable of satellite calling in China. As for satellite broadband, the major options in Malaysia currently include SpaceX’s Starlink and MEASAT’s CONNECTme.
(Source: Bernama)
