KUCHING: Public safety gets top priority when it comes to the construction of telecommunication towers in any area.
The assurance came from the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) which said the people’s safety was of concern to state government while meeting the increasing demand for better coverage, quality and affordable broadband service in the respective area.
SMA was responding to recent press reports where residents of Lorong Song 3 here protested against the construction of a telecommunication tower in their area.
The authority said it had held two dialogues to discuss a suitable site for the construction of the tower as stipulated in the Sarawak Telecommunication Policy where the facility should be located in a practical and standard manner.
“Moreover, the selected site should not result in obstruction or negative impact to any landmark, heritage or panorama,” it said in a statement.
The first dialogue was held involving involving the government, the network service provider and the community.
“As there were still concerns raised by the public on the construction of this structure, a second session was held in October, with the participation of the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, an agency under the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC),” the authority said.
SMA said the construction was approved based on the consideration that the data traffic in the area had exceeded the capacity of the current cellular telecommunication equipment.
The authority had also studied the possibility to install extra equipment on existing towers but such implementation is not only not optimal in terms of operation efficiency and cost, but may also risk public safety due to the physical overloading of the existing towers.
“Initially, the proposed site for the construction of the new structure was in a residential par, subsequently prompting us to advise the network service provider to relocate the site.
This new site has already been gazetted for utility purposes and its location has been audited to perform high-speed broadband connectivity better coverage and quality of broadband service,” SMA said.
The authority said approval was given to network service provider to erect the structure, adding that the latter had to adhere to procedures, including obtaining Sarawak Energy Berhad and Land and Survey Department approvals.
It said any review on the decided site had to be backed by proven scientific evidence to avoid any unnecessary compromise in terms of cost, time of delivery and quality of broadband to the public.
