Private 5G network may exacerbate urban-rural divide, says consumer group

Free Malaysia Today

Fomca president T Saravanan says a stringent regulatory framework must be drawn up to oblige network providers to cover rural areas.  Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/posts/preview/?p=N3VYd3hveVF3SFMvNy9RUVBEWDhicnNwQ0tsbU9lQjhSby9YMUVWdmR6Yz0=  Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2024/07/30/rangkaian-swasta-5g-lebar-jurang-liputan-luar-bandar-kata-kumpulan-pengguna/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #5G #Network #Fomca #DNB

Transcript

00:00The introduction of a privately-run profit-driven second 5G network may lead telecommunications

00:07companies to neglect extending coverage to rural areas, thereby widening the connectivity

00:12gap.

00:13Kisar Vanan, CEO of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association, said rural areas could

00:19be left behind as network providers may prioritize setting up infrastructure in economically

00:24viable urban areas.

00:26This, he said, could exacerbate the digital divide, leaving rural communities with poorer

00:31connectivity and fewer opportunities for development, education, and economic growth.

00:36Economist Goh Lim Thai from University of Malaya also agreed, saying rural areas could

00:40be underserved as was the case during the 4G rollout when the telco industry was dominated

00:45by a few major players.

00:47Referring to a study by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Goh said it showed

00:52that broadband penetration in rural areas was only 50% compared to 85% in urban areas.

00:59In May last year, Putrajaya agreed to shift to a dual-network model, contingent on state-owned

01:04agency Digital Nasional Berhat achieving 80% coverage in populated areas.

01:09DNB surpassed that target in December, reaching 81.5% coverage in April this year.

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