KOTA BARU, Nov 10 — The Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and telecommunication companies have been asked to monitor telecommunication towers prone to flooding more often to ensure that communications would not be cut off, especially in the event of disasters.

Caretaker communications and multimedia minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said this was following a forecast of continuous rain by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).

The telecommunication companies have also been asked to be more proactive in ensuring their preparedness during floods, he said.

"All telcos are required to do direct monitoring and when it rains, we already have a map showing which areas are flooded.

"We need to be more proactive. Last time when the electricity supply was cut off, the communication coverage was also cut off, we don’ t want that to happen,” he told reporters after launching the Keluarga Malaysia eSports Community Carnival at the Kelantan Poverty Foundation (YKK) Complex in Melor here today.

Meanwhile, Annuar said he had instructed MCMC and telco companies to check the communication coverage at all vote-tallying centres and upgrade them to enable the process to run smoothly. — Bernama