logo
64 new telecommunications towers built in Melaka since 2020

64 new telecommunications towers built in Melaka since 2020

The Sun28-04-2025
MELAKA: A total of 64 new telecommunications towers have been completed and are operational under the National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA) since 2020 in Melaka, said state Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Communications Committee chairman Datuk Fairul Nizam Roslan.
He said that, in addition, 1,128 transmission stations have been upgraded to the 4G network during the same period.
'The positive impact of the implementation of JENDELA is being felt by the public as 4G coverage has reached 99.97 per cent in populated areas, compared to 98.82 per cent in 2020.
'The 5G coverage in populated areas stands at 89.7 per cent, involving the development of 215 completed and operational 5G structures in the state,' he said at the Melaka State Legislative Assembly sitting at Seri Negeri here today.
He was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali (BN-Lendu), who wanted to know if there had been improvements or upgrades to the telecommunications network in less-covered areas with the construction of new telecommunications towers in the Lendu constituency.
Fairul Nizam said a new 5G structure, along with two new 4G communication structures, have been completed and are operational in the Lendu constituency, involving Kampung Ayer Limau 2, Kem 966 Depot Pangkalan Peluru (96 DPP) and Kampung Baru Lendu.
He added that three shared structures for 5G coverage have also been implemented in the Lendu constituency, involving the sites at Masjid Tanah 2, Jalan Lendu and Jalan Rembia Batu 18.
'Twenty-five transmission stations have been upgraded to 4G and 1,650 premises connected with high-speed fibre optic access.
'Telekom Malaysia (TM), meanwhile, has provided more than 5,000 Unifi ports in the Lendu constituency, with the port usage rate having reached 50 per cent,' he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Intel CEO dogged by decades of China chip investing, board roles
Intel CEO dogged by decades of China chip investing, board roles

Free Malaysia Today

time12 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Intel CEO dogged by decades of China chip investing, board roles

Lip-Bu Tan and Walden International have faced scrutiny for China-related investments before. (AFP pic) NEW YORK : For more than three decades, Lip-Bu Tan invested in the Chinese economic boom, placing the kinds of no-brainer bets that enriched venture capitalists and fund managers around the world and across the US. He set up a venture firm called Walden International, based in San Francisco, that pumped more than US$5 billion into over 600 companies. More than 100 of those investments were made in China, including deals with once-obscure startups such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) – today China's largest chipmaker – where he served on the board for a decade and a half. In recent years, as US-China tensions escalated, Washington has increasingly restricted Beijing's access to advanced technology and placed tighter limits on the ability of US companies to do business there. Tan's efforts to distance himself from Chinese investments accelerated with his appointment as CEO of Intel Corp in March, when he agreed to divest his holdings there, according to a person familiar with the arrangement. That hasn't stopped US lawmakers – and, now, Donald Trump – from holding Tan's past Chinese affiliations against him. The US president called the executive 'highly conflicted' in a social media post and urged him to resign. Intel has responded that Tan and the board are 'deeply committed to advancing US national and economic security interests' and said they would further engage with the administration. Here's what we know about Tan's business dealings in China. Walden He started work at a venture capital firm in the 1980s called Walden Ventures, where he helped create a spinoff named Walden International that focused on overseas opportunities. Tan, a Mandarin speaker born in Malaysia, helped the company make investments all over East Asia, including China. He pushed some of Walden's funds into the then-unfashionable area of chip investing. Most venture capitalists had moved away from the industry, figuring that it was impossible to challenge giants such as Intel with startup money. But Tan played those odds. Today, the executive is still chairman of Walden International. He is the founding managing partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, which focuses on investments in the US, Europe and Israel. He also serves in that role at another venture fund, Celesta Global Capital. Tan and Walden have faced scrutiny for China-related investments before. In 2023, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent Walden a letter expressing concerns and seeking more information on the types of companies and amount of investments made there. SMIC Headquartered in Shanghai, SMIC was founded in 2000 as an early attempt to bring advanced chip-making to China. Walden International was one of the big investors when the startup raised US$630 million from a group of venture firms in 2003. Tan was a director on SMIC's board until 2018. The Chinese company, whose customers at one time included Qualcomm Inc, is attempting to break into the outsourced chip production business dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. In 2020, that effort took a serious blow when the US commerce department put SMIC on the so-called entity list, citing ties with the Chinese military. That means businesses need licenses to supply the Chinese company with technology. The move effectively cut it off from crucial US vendors. Today, it's a key partner to major Chinese sector players including Huawei Technologies Co. Cadence Tan stepped out of the venture world and joined the chip industry full-time when he became interim head of San Jose, California-based Cadence Design Systems Inc in 2008. The executive, who had previously served on the board, went on to take the permanent CEO job the next year. He stayed in the role until 2021, when he transitioned to executive chairman, and is widely credited with restoring the company's fortunes. In late July of this year, the department of justice (DOJ) announced a plea deal that cost Cadence more than US$100 million in fines. Employees at Cadence's China unit allegedly hid the name of a customer – the National University of Defense Technology – from internal compliance in order to keep supplying it. That organisation had been put on the department of commerce's blacklist in 2015. 'The Chinese university was one of a group of supercomputer operators there that had conducted simulations of nuclear explosions,' the DOJ said. Cadence got a 20% reduction of the statutory maximum fine because of its partial cooperation with the investigation, according to the DOJ's statement, which didn't mention Tan. Still, his connection to the company was cited this week by US senator Tom Cotton, who wrote to Intel chairman Frank Yeary questioning whether what happened at Cadence under Tan's tenure makes him fit for his current job. Current status Tan spent time on the boards of other Chinese companies, such as Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. However, he doesn't, according to Bloomberg data, currently serve on a board of any company based in that country. Though Walden International has invested in more than 100 Chinese companies over the years, that involvement has been scaled back, according to PitchBook. Walden International, Walden Catalyst Ventures and Celesta now just have stakes in a handful of companies based in China, including Hong Kong, the site shows.

Third week of Dewan Rakyat session dominated by debate on RMK13
Third week of Dewan Rakyat session dominated by debate on RMK13

The Sun

time20 hours ago

  • The Sun

Third week of Dewan Rakyat session dominated by debate on RMK13

KUALA LUMPUR: The third week of the Dewan Rakyat session has been dominated by debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) as government and opposition Members of Parliament discussed various aspects of national policy, implementation, and the country's development direction for the next five years. The debate was focused on the three main pillars of the RMK13: economic growth, public welfare, and effective governance. Cross-sectoral issues are also being addressed, including regional development, renewable energy, climate change, youth mobility, education, cybersecurity, and the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak in the national development framework. As of yesterday, 78 MPs have participated in the debate, including Government Backbenchers Club Chairman Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar), Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut), and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (PH-Gombak). Among the topics raised by the MPs are a flexible, choice-based approach to the proposed monthly pension payments through the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the drafting of a special act for preschool education, and a comprehensive and structured national creative economy or 'orange economy' policy to drive growth in the sector. On July 31, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim presented the 13MP, themed 'Reshaping Development.' The government will need to provide an investment of RM611 billion to drive national development from 2026 to 2030. According to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, the RMK13 debate will last for eight days, from Aug 4 to 14, followed by a four-day winding-up session by ministers from Aug 18 to 21. Another key focus of this week's Dewan Rakyat session was the briefing by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz regarding reciprocal trade negotiations with the United States. This followed a new tariff rate for Malaysia of 19 percent, effective Aug 1, which is a six percent reduction from the rate announced by the US on July 7. Tengku Zafrul emphasised that Malaysia did not sacrifice national interests to get preferential treatment. Instead, the negotiations with the US maintained the uniqueness of national policies, and Malaysia did not agree to all of the US' requests concerning digital trade and technology. However, he noted that Malaysia must remain prepared for the possibility of additional tariffs being imposed by the US on the semiconductor industry. Other issues that received attention in the Dewan Rakyat included corruption and 'counter-setting' cases involving enforcement officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the targeted RON95 petrol subsidy, the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border dispute in the Sulawesi Sea, labour force utilisation rates, and the implementation of the Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) toll collection system. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that 26 enforcement officers and personnel at KLIA were dismissed last year. He added that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had handled 50 cases of 'phantom travelers,' with two cases now in the process of being charged in court, while the remainder are at various stages of investigation. On the MLFF issue, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan clarified that the system's implementation would not have financial implications for the government, stating that this is a new direction set by the Ministry of Works. Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul explained that six MPs who are former Bersatu members are still categorised as opposition representatives because there has been no official confirmation of their change in status, even though they have declared support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Second Meeting of the Fourth Term of the 15th Parliament for the Dewan Rakyat session will run for 24 days until Aug 28. - Bernama

Czech driverless train hits open track
Czech driverless train hits open track

Free Malaysia Today

timea day ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Czech driverless train hits open track

The autonomous train relies on cameras, lasers, satellite navigation and an integrated digital map for information on its whereabouts. (AFP pic) KOPIDLNO : A rail line linking two northern Czech towns is testing Europe's first driverless train operating in an open environment, its developer told AFP on Tuesday. The train named Edita has been running since April on a local railway used as a testing track by the Prague-based private AZD company producing transport control and signalling systems. 'The train runs autonomously, it is equipped with systems that enable us to control its traction, brakes, and speed,' said AZD's railway developer Michal Novak. 'It is also equipped with a device that detects objects and recognises… obstacles and reacts accordingly,' he added. AZD has been running the train sparingly since its launch as its staff often test new equipment on it. Edita connects two small towns on a 24km track that was abandoned in 2010 before AZD bought it six years later. AZD has invested 320 million Czech koruna (US$15 million) in the project, using EU funding for about one-third of the amount. The autonomous train, which has so far driven some 1,700km with passengers, relies on cameras, lasers, satellite navigation and an integrated digital map for information on its whereabouts. Under the current legislation, it still needs a driver to at least supervise its operation. The early Tuesday train's crew also included a conductor and experts checking data. When a hare ran onto the track, Edita duly slowed down and informed the crew about the obstacle. Novak said the train once had to stop because of a herd of sheep in the way, but he added incidents like this were rare. He added Edita was the first driverless train in Europe in an open environment with level crossings and where animals might get in the way. 'There are systems where autonomous vehicles operate, but these are mostly on special tracks that are closed off… such as underground or transfers between airport terminals,' he said. 'These have been in place for quite some time and work well in Europe, but I only know of one project in Australia that operates in such an open landscape,' added Novak. Watching the track ahead of the train on a screen in the carriage, passenger Radka Globanova told AFP autonomous trains 'definitely have a future'. 'I think the progress will be really fast as artificial intelligence is being developed. There are autonomous trains, autonomous cars, why not?'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store