Not sufficient: A significant number of those in the remaining 3% of sparsely populated areas without Internet connectivity say they require more than the basic Internet speed, mainly for educational and economic purposes. — Others
BAD weather, wild animals, even cars – it does not take much for the Internet service in his village to be disrupted, says Sakaria Awang.
Even when there are no “disturbances”, his village in Bentong, Pahang, is one of those rural areas with a slow and unreliable connection, says the deputy president of the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Association.
“The Internet in my area is slow, for sure. Mobile service is also not great.
“My village is next to a highway and when the traffic on the road is bad, it interrupts our Internet, which becomes very slow, especially when it is raining.”
Teo (in red) says the first phase of the Jendela projects in Sabah and Sarawak have been delayed, and expects Phase 2 to start once all projects from the first phase are completed. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
Pelan Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) was launched in September 2020 with the goal of putting in place affordable digital connectivity and Internet access in all corners of the country.
Overcoming topographical and environmental challenges, Phase 1, which concluded on Dec 31, 2022, surpassed its initial target with achievements of over 96% 4G coverage in populated areas, and an average of 116.03Mbps broadband speed nationwide, among others.
To improve mobile coverage in rural and remote areas, broadband wireless access has been provided via satellite connectivity, including at various Orang Asli villages. This has paved the way for Phase 2 – expanding the use of 5G network services nationwide by 2025.
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Limited Internet coverage
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Phase 1.
The Phase 1 projects in Sabah and Sarawak are still behind schedule, with the contractors having been given an extension of time to complete the work.
This appears to have delayed the start of the second phase, as Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching previously said Phase 2 of Jendela is expected to start once the first phase is fully completed.
Chew says he had to ride his dad’s bike up a hill just to attend his online classes every day during the MCO. — Eris Joshan Chew Ho Beng
“There are still many areas that have limited Internet coverage, especially in Sabah and Sarawak,” she said in July this year.
Despite Jendela efforts, some in rural and remote areas – especially the remaining “3% without Internet connectivity” – are still struggling with connectivity gaps, which is affecting their quality of life amid a world that’s growing increasingly reliant on Internet connectivity for social and economic purposes, among others.
During the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Symposium 2024, several research papers were presented discussing the connectivity situation in such regions.
A study by a team from Taylor’s University on assessing the impact of Jendela, as presented by Dr Thanuja Rathakrishnan, found that those in rural areas said their Internet quality can indeed be “slow and unreliable”, with significant challenges in accessing the Internet in remote areas.
A separate study by a team at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman investigating the demand for mobile services in sparsely connected remote areas in Malaysia further explores this issue.
For this study, principal investigator Dr Suthashini Subramaniam says they interviewed residents in Batang Padang, Perak, and Limbang, Sarawak, as the two states rank quite high for lack of connectivity.
Educational, economic opportunities
Among their findings were that 46% of the respondents felt the existing Wi-Fi connectivity is insufficient to meet community needs, while 66% said they require more than the basic Internet speed.
Suthashini notes that the need for better Internet speed is mainly for educational and economic purposes.
“Middle-aged and senior citizens are concerned about economic growth for future generations while the younger generation focuses on educational opportunities and learning platforms.
“Educational opportunities are significant, with many leveraging Internet connectivity for learning,” Suthashini says.
Sakaria concurs, saying that Internet access is important to the Orang Asli in rural areas regardless of their age.
“For those who are still schooling, they need the Internet for their education, while the adults are now doing business online,” he says.
The recent Covid-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and movements restrictions, was responsible for the acceleration of the evolving education landscape that is now shifting towards more online learning, prompting the need for better connectivity for students.
This was best illustrated by the 2020 incident when Sabahan university student Veveonah Mosibin made headlines when her video of climbing a tree to access the Internet for her online examinations went viral.
Veveonah’s experience is similar to Eris Joshan Chew Ho Beng, from the Semai tribe in Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Senta in Bidor, Perak.
During the movement control order (MCO) several years ago, the 21-year-old says he had to take his dad’s bike up a hill at the edge of his village every morning for Internet connectivity to attend his online classes as he prepared for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in Form Five.
“I sat on just a mat on the hill to attend my online classes. If it rained, I would have to skip my classes. It was very challenging,” says Chew, who described his village as a “digital desert”.
He was only one of three youths of the same age in his village who sat for the SPM at the time because, he says, aside from getting bullied, many of his Orang Asli peers lost interest in studying.
“Because there are no facilities to help us explore more about what we are learning. Even textbooks nowadays have QR codes for you to scan and explore the topic more online,” says Chew who is now a member of the Orang Asli Undergraduates Association (PMOA).
Meanwhile, the research from Thanuja and her team produced findings about how those in rural areas utilise Internet connectivity for economic purposes, with social media playing a key role in attracting customers and increasing sales.
As quoted in her research, a respondent said, “My parents are doing a sambal hitam and dodol business. My mum has TikTok to promote the business so Internet connection is important as it made them literate on how to use devices and apps.”
Thanuja’s research also found that the Orang Asli, whose villages are often in remote areas, are provided with continuous training by both public agencies and private organisations to empower Orang Asli entrepreneurs in the digital age. The Orang Asli also use the Internet for banking, social media access, and getting information, with social media also influencing their social interactions, according to Thanuja.
“The increase in intermarriages among villagers is closely linked to the widespread use of social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and dating apps,” she says.
Big 5G potential
With Phase 2 of Jendela focusing on transitioning to 5G technology, more economic opportunities will become available, including for those in rural or remote areas.
When we think about 5G, many of us only think about it in terms of mobile services, but Dr Azizul Azizan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia says 5G has much wider applications, especially in private networks.
“People always imagine that 5G is going to be used on mobile phones but in reality, 5G is not intended to address only mobile usage but it has to do with a lot of elements like massive machine-type communications and ultra-reliable and low latency communications.”
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You may not be expecting this but the agriculture industry, including small landholders and farmers in rural areas, can benefit tremendously from 5G private networks, according to Azizul.
Smart agriculture is the future of the industry and 5G can play a huge part in this by facilitating the use of unman-ned aerial vehicles, real-time monitoring, artificial intelligence-powered robots and data analytics in agricultural production.
However, Azizul says 5G is still too costly for small landholders and farmers to use for more efficient agricultural practices.
“5G is expensive. The technology is expensive. You need to invest.
“There are real financial barriers to procuring even the basic smart sensor system for small landholders and farmers,” he says.
It is not just 5G-powered smart agriculture that remains too expensive for those in rural areas.
Thanuja and Suthashini’s research both revealed anxiety among rural residents over pricing of the existing 4G Internet services.
“One of the critical factors contributing to the connectivity gap is the economic disparity between rural and urban areas,” says Suthashini.
Participants from rural areas in Thanuja’s study said the high fees for fixed lines are a concern, though some are optimistic about the decreasing costs for digital services.
Meanwhile, Suthashini found that many of her respondents from Limbang had an average monthly household income of up to RM500, while those in Batang Padang were only slightly better with an average between RM501 and RM1,000.
As such, most of them were only willing to spend between RM30 and RM50 for better Internet access, despite their acknowledgement of the benefits of being connected.
Aside from laying down the infrastructure for connectivity, affordability is one of the major issues that must be addressed to enhance Internet connectivity in rural areas, she says.
Among her recommendations for how the government could address this issue is to introduce subsidies and incentives, cost-effective technology innovation, and regulatory reform.
