SIX more telecommunication towers are planned for the Kalaka constituency, expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2023.
Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication, Datuk Liwan Lagang added that one telco tower in Sungai Engkabang, Roban had been completed and would be operational in the first quarter of 2023.
“A completed telco tower in Kalaka’s Taman Seroja is currently undergoing equipment installation and is expected to be operational by the end of January 2023, while equipment in Taman Malor is expected to be delivered by mid-January next year and operational by the end of February 2023.
“The initiatives implemented by the Sarawak government to expand telecommunication networks coverage, including upgrading 18 telco sites from 3G to 4G transmissions, while fibre optics coverage for 450 premises was completed in the first quarter of this year.”
He went on to say that approximately 7,000 telco towers were required to ensure full network coverage throughout Sarawak, including in rural areas.
“Sarawak currently has 3,471 telecommunication structures in place. There are 2,186 towers in operation, with 285 towers expected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2023.”
Furthermore, 600 telco towers under the Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (SMART) project and 742 new towers under the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela) are set to be operational in phases beginning in 2023.
He stated that under the SMART project, 600 telco towers would be installed in rural areas, with the first phase set to go live in the second quarter of 2023 and the second phase by the end of 2023.
Beginning this year, the federal government will also build 742 telco towers under the Jendela initiative, which is managed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Currently, 40 towers are operational, and civil construction work on 68 telco sites had been completed, with transmitter equipment and electricity installation now underway.
By the fourth quarter of 2023, all 742 new telco towers under Jendela are expected to be operational in stages.
