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MEASAT-3d satellite to connect 2 million rakyat lacking high-speed broadband access

11 May 2022

MEASAT Global Berhad is set to close the digital gap in rural areas, with the upcoming launch of the MEASAT-3d satellite on 22 June 2022, French Guiana Time (23 June 2022 Kuala Lumpur Time). Using the High Throughput Satellite (“HTS”) capacity on MEASAT[1]3d, Malaysians will be able to enjoy high-speed internet whether in urban and suburban areas or hard to reach rural villages, via MEASAT’s CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service.

MEASAT’s CONNECTme NOW will connect 10,000 sites in the next three (3) years to serve more than two (2) million rakyat in remote areas that currently have no or limited access to high-speed broadband internet. To date, MEASAT has rolled out more than 3,000 CONNECTme NOW sites nationwide, with a majority in the remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak. In addition, other telecommunications providers can also tap on the new satellite to offer data, voice and video services to the last 3-5% of the population not yet covered by fibre connectivity or wireless broadband.

“MEASAT is proud to support Malaysian Government initiatives including the Jalinan Digital Negara (“JENDELA”) plan to close the digital connectivity gap and enable a better[1]connected future for all Malaysians, by expanding high-speed internet coverage in under[1]connected rural areas. With MEASAT-3d and through CONNECTme NOW, we look forward to providing internet access for the unserved population. As the pandemic has fast tracked the adoption of technology and the use of broadband for education, economic activity and social interaction, we have initiated a series of future satellite initiatives to improve broadband services and cellular backhaul in the next three to five years, to accelerate the formation of a digitally-inclusive society,” said Yau Chyong Lim, Chief Operating Officer, MEASAT.

“With better access to the internet, the rakyat will be able to derive socioeconomic benefits such as participating in eCommerce and digital learning. We aim to fill the broadband gap in locations without 4G, DNB’s 5G mobile or fibre coverage in Malaysia.

We are supporting the Government’s target to achieve 100% internet access by 2025 indicated in the MyDigital blueprint, as well as JENDELA targets for connecting and digitalising the nation. In line with studies showing that increasing broadband speeds and internet penetration improves Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”), we hope that by increasing broadband speeds approximately threefold and growing internet penetration, we will achieve economic benefits from wider access to job opportunities in the internet economy for over two (2) million rakyat,” he added.

“On a wider scale, with our immediate targets within Malaysia clearly in sight, we intend to replicate and grow the CONNECTme service regionally in the longer term. To support this growth, we need to significantly expand our satellite broadband capacity with a strategy that includes geostationary and non-geostationary satellites,” Yau further commented.

 

 

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