Deputy minister grilled on broadband services

By Patrick Lee

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Joseph Salang Gandum told the Dewan Rakyat today that the government's mandatory standard for broadband speed was 256kbps nationwide.

The Julau MP said this when Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) asked him about the action taken in upgrading Malaysia's broadband facilities as well as costs incurred.

The Penang chief minister also quizzed Gandum on TMNet's monopoly of the country's broadband services.

TMNet is Malaysia's largest fixed line broadband provider, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of national telecommunications company Telekom Malaysia. Its broadband service, Streamyx, has been criticised as inadequate and prone to disconnection.

However, when Lim later asked Gandum what kind of penalties were in place if this standard was not met, the latter side-stepped the question and said: “According to the Standing Order, I choose to only answer two of your (additional) questions.”

Gandum also said that the government, along with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) had given 51 licenses allowing various companies to spread broadband services across the nation.

The deputy minister claimed that this was proof that TMNet was not holding a monopoly over the country's broadband.

He also said that the high-speed broadband (HSBB) project was not a direct tender given to TMNet, but rather a “partnership” between the government and Telekom Malaysia.

Gandum then told the Dewan Rakyat that Telekom would be leasing out HSBB to various international and local service providers, although he did not reveal who these providers were.

On costs, Gandum said that a total of RM11.3 billion had been spent on HSBB, including RM2.4 billion from the government.

He said that RM1.9 billion had been allocated by the government for the Universal Provision Fund (USP). Formed in 2002, the USP's purpose was to bridge the digital divide for places that were not generally serviced by basic telephone and Internet services.

The deputy minister also said that HSBB was available in select areas in West Malaysia, including parts of the Klang Valley, Bayan Baru, Senai, Kulim Tengah and Bukit Kemuning.

He also added that HSBB was not yet available in East Malaysia and would be added in the project's second phase of coverage.

Umno MP: East Malaysia always sidelined

This statement irked Umno's Kalabakan MP Abdul Ghapur Salleh, who said that East Malaysia was often sidelined when it came to broadband.

“Why are there so many allocations for West Malaysia? So many problems have not been solved, and many rural people do not even have broadband. When can Sabah and Sarawak get broadband?” he asked.

Taken aback, Gandum said that HSBB was a private venture and that it was more focused on the high-end market.

Nevertheless, he said that the government was readying initiatives to expand broadband throughout East Malaysia.

He added that a total of 500 villages in Sabah and 600 in Sarawak would be given wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) services by the end of the year. - FMT