KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — The Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD), through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is studying the use of satellites as cell towers, in an effort to improve the communication system in the country.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said if the technology can be implemented in cooperation with telecommunications companies, the ‘Where there’s a road, there’s an internet’ policy can be achieved and implemented well.

"MCMC and KKD are researching some new technologies other than the internet via satellites. Several new technologies are being developed which use satellites as cell towers.

"... in the next two or more years, there are several companies which are conducting research on the use of satellite technology as a telecommunications tower. So this is under study,” he said.

He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Senator Aknan Ehtook in the Dewan Negara, who asked about the progress of the network-sharing initiative which takes into account Sarawak as an implementation model.

Apart from that, Fahmi said that MCMC and telecommunications companies have reached an agreement to help solve the problem of ‘naked’ towers ( towers without telecommunications equipment) in Sarawak, involving 600 towers under the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA).

He said although the effort cost quite a bit of money, it proved that collaboration between MCMC and the telecommunications companies can be achieved.

"It’s just that (this cooperation) needs to be discussed and brought to the consultation table before any instructions are issued. So this is a model which I hope we can apply in other states,” he said. — Bernama