Internet problems in the Orang Asli villages of Gua Musang have been fixed.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has taken steps to address the issue of Internet access in Gua Musang’s Orang Asli villages of Pos Bihai and Pos Balar.
According to a statement, the disruption in telecommunication service at Balar Post was caused by a power outage caused by the genset at the telecommunication tower running out of fuel.
The two villages’ location, approximately 300 kilometres from Kota Bharu and accessible via dirt roads, as well as the occurrence of a landslide that rendered the route to Pos Bahar inaccessible, made it difficult to deliver diesel supply to the tower.
However, the telecommunication tower at Balar Post was activated and able to resume normal operation on January 5, it said, adding that several short, medium, and long-term solutions to the problems have also been identified for implementation.
According to the statement, MCMC has discussed a suitable solution with the provider of available Wi-Fi broadband services via satellite (BWA), Numix Engineering Sdn Bhd, and the owner of the transmitter tower, CelcomDigi.
According to the statement, MCMC has discussed a suitable solution with Numix Engineering Sdn Bhd, a provider of broadband wireless access (BWA) via satellite (BWA), and the owner of the CelcomDigi transmitter tower.
As a short-term solution, Numix agreed to increase each user’s existing free Internet usage quota from 8 GB to 12 GB per month on January 7 and 8. MCMC and CelcomDigi intend to temporarily increase the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) backhaul capacity for each existing transmitter in Kampung Tandrik, Pos Belatin, and Pos Balar from 4 Mbps to 10 Mbps as a medium-term solution that will be completed in the second quarter of 2023.
For the long term, MCMC is working with CelcomDigi to develop a telecommunication tower near Pos Bihai Orang Asli village and another transmitter structure near Dakoh Orang Asli village.
According to MCMC, both towers will use fibre optic ‘backhaul’ as a long-term solution to ensure that residents in the areas can access mobile services in the near future.
It also stated that it will continue to monitor the actions taken and take follow-up measures to ensure that the problem is fully addressed.
