KUCHING: Sarawak now has 4,447 telecommunication towers and structures that have been completed.

Sarawak Minister for Utility and Telecommunication, Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi Sarawak said, of the total, 3,791 towers and structures are now operational while 858 will gradually become operational by the second quarter of 2025.

He added, out of the planned 600 SMART telecommunication towers, 512 have been completed.

“Of these, 307 SMART towers are operational, providing both 4G and Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (MySRBN) services or only MySRBN, accounting for 51 per cent of the total number of towers.

“Intervention programs under the SALURAN initiative (including SMART) received an initial allocation of RM1.89 billion, which has now increased to RM2.25 billion,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Session on Monday.

Dato Sri Julaihi added, the Federal government, through Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), has allocated RM1 billion for development and operational costs to implement 5G services in Sarawak from 2021 to 2030.

So far, 454 out of the total of 584 5G sites have been operational, and the remainder are expected to be operational by the second quarter of this year. With the completion of all these project sites, they will contribute to 64.8% coverage of 5G in Populated Area Zones (COPA), especially in urban areas in Sarawak.

Regarding the National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA) under the Federal Government, 764 telecommunication towers have been completed under Phase 1 of the JENDELA Plan, with 313 of these towers fully operational with 4G services, he explained.

“Sarawak currently has an internet service coverage of 80.9 per cent, involving three main technologies: fixed broadband, mobile broadband, and satellite broadband,” he said. -UKASnews