[ UPDATE 21/12/2022 15:50 ] Fahmi Fadzil announces Pakej Perpaduan which offers cheaper data for youths, B40, OKU, Senior Citizens and Veterans. The plan offers 30GB of data for RM30 that’s valid for 6 months. However, it comes with a 3Mbps speed cap.
===
Minister of Communications and Digital, Fahmi Fadzil, has hinted that his ministry will announce good news related to telcos to help reduce the impact of the rising cost of living especially for the B40 and M40 groups. He said this would involve internet and phone charges.
According to Bernama, he said, “Let’s wait for Santa Claus to come. But we are looking at the issues of internet and phone charges. Those are among the things I’m concerned about”. Fahmi also said the main issue isn’t just about price as connectivity and access are far more important. He said there are some areas which are facing problems because not all telcos were operating in the area.
Fahmi added that a study has been done so that immediate and appropriate action can be taken to help people in terms of price and quality of service. The minister also expressed concerns about problems involving 4G and 5G networks. He said his ministry would emphasise to telcos in future meetings that the government don’t only want cheaper services but better services as well.
During today’s town hall event with various digital agencies, Fahmi has also called upon to public to report scams through the dedicated 997 National Scam Response Centre hotline. He urges victims not to be ashamed or afraid and to report the incident within 24 hours so that Bank Negara Malaysia can take action to stop the outflow of funds.
The newly minted minister is also looking into the issue of data leaks which has been rampant lately. He stressed that data is our national treasure and should be protected.
He wants to ensure that CyberSecurity Malaysia, which is under the Communications and Digital Ministry, plays an important role to conduct cybersecurity audits. He said his Ministry will help to assess and assist other ministries, agencies and departments to ensure their cybersecurity needs are prioritised. He wants to avoid another data leakage from government agencies as such data can be misused for scam activities.
Under the previous Pakatan Harapan administration, the then Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh had delivered on his promise to double internet speeds and cut subscription cost by half for fixed broadband. While the cost of fibre broadband and Streamyx were slashed significantly, many have complained about the lack of access. Under the JENDELA initiative introduced under Muhyiddin’s administration, the government has set a target to increase fibre access from 4.96 million premises passed to 7.5 million by end of 2022. As of 31st October 2022, Malaysia has 7.44 million premises passed by fibre according to MCMC’s report.
[ SOURCE ]
Related reading
- Communications minister advises the public to dial 997 if they have been scammed
- Fahmi Fadzil: Malaysia to assess current 5G deployment, concerned with delay and cost to rollout
- 5 things Fahmi Fadzil needs to fix as Digital Communications Minister
- Fahmi Fadzil appointed as Malaysia’s Digital Communications Minister
