BUTTERWORTH, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- The Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will study the feasibility of expanding the telecommunications network coverage metrics, especially for 5G, to cover key economic activity areas such as ports, rail lines and highways.
Its Minister, Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, said the current Coverage of Populated Area (CoPA) metric needed to be reviewed to take into account connectivity requirements in areas without residents but which play an importnt role in economic activities.
“CoPA is frequently used by telecommunications companies and international bodies to refer to connectivity in populated areas. However, we see that, especially when we talk about 5G access, areas such as ports have no residetns but are hubs for significant economic activities.
“We will also propose at international forums, such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meeting in Doha in November, that consideration be given to whether 5G and future technologies should be expanded beyond CoPA to include areas with economic activities,” he said.
He told reporters this after officiating the launch of the Penang Port Private 5G initiative at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) here today, making Penang Port as the first port in the country to use a private 5G network through a collaboration between Altel Communications Sdn Bhd (Altel) and Penang Port.
Also present were Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, Communications Minstry deputy secretary-general (Telecommunications Infrastructure) V. Mano and MCMC managing director Abdul Karim Fakir Ali.
Fahmi said these areas required reliable connectivity to support industrial operations, thus ensuring that telecommunications facilities were not concentrated solely in populated areas.
He said the use of private 5G networks also had the potential to be expanded to the manufacturing and logistics sectors, especially multinational companies (MNCs) operating in the country.
He added that 5G networks offered robust connectivity and enabled more devices to be connected simultaneously to support the operation of machinery and equipment requiring high precision.
Fahmi, who is also the MADANI Government spokesman, said his ministry would prepare a Cabinet memorandum regarding the matter and work closely with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to expand telecommunications coverage, including through the deployment of 5G technology at other ports in the country.
“Previously, the Communications Ministry and MCMC also helped resolve internet connectivity issues along major rail routes. We identified several areas managed by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) along these rail lines that lacked internet access.
“So, based on our previous cooperation with MOT, I believe we can expand these efforts, including by leveraging 5G technology, regardless of who provides the service, for deployment at ports,” he added.
On the launch of 5G at Penang Port, Fahmi said that, unlike conventional 5G networks, private 5G networks provided dedicated communication channels for critical industrial operations without requiring users to share network capacity with others.
He said the adoption of this technology should also be expanded to the private sector, including manufacturing companies and oil palm plantation operators, to improve operational efficiency and safety.
-- BERNAMA