MCMC: Steps taken to resolve internet issues in Orang Asli villages in Gua Musang

KOTA BARU, Jan 14 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has taken steps to address the issue of Internet access in the Orang Asli villages at Pos Bihai and Pos Balar in Gua Musang.

In a statement issued today, it said the disruption of telecommunication service at Balar Post was due to power supply disruption as the genset at the telecommunication tower had run out of fuel.

The location of the two villages, which are about 300 kilometres from Kota Bharu and accessible through dirt roads and the occurrence of a landslide that made the route to Pos bahar inaccessible, made it difficult to deliver diesel supply to the tower, it said.

However, the telecommunication tower at Balar Post was activated and able to return to normal operation last Jan 5, it said, adding that several short, medium and long-term solutions have also been identified for implementation to resolve the problems.

According to the statement, MCMC has discussed with the provider of available Wi-Fi broadband services via satellite (BWA) namely Numix Engineering Sdn Bhd and the owner of the transmitter tower CelcomDigi to find a suitable solution.

According to the statement, MCMC has discussed with Numix Engineering Sdn Bhd, which is the provider of broadband wireless access (BWA) via satellite (BWA), and the owner of the CelcomDigi transmitter tower to find a suitable solution.

“For a short-term solution, Numix has agreed to increase the existing free Internet usage quota from 8 GB to 12 GB per month for each user last Jan 7 and 8.

“As a medium-term solution that will be completed in the second quarter of 2023, MCMC and CelcomDigi plan to temporarily increase the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) backhaul capacity for each existing transmitter in Kampung Tandrik, Pos Belatin, and Pos Balar from 4 Mbps to 10 Mbps.

“For the long-term solution, MCMC, in collaboration with CelcomDigi, is examining the plan to develop a telecommunication tower near the Pos Bihai Orang Asli village and another transmitter structure at the Dakoh Orang Asli village,” it said.

According to MCMC, both towers will use fiber optic ‘backhaul’ as a permanent solution to ensure residents in the areas can also enjoy mobile services in the near future.

It said it will also continue to monitor the actions taken and take follow-up measures so that the problem can be addressed comprehensively. — Bernama