KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 : Maxis Bhd is committed to expanding its coverage in Sabah and Sarawak by investing a large part of its capital expenditure (capex) in the two states.
Chief network officer Abdul Karim Fakir Ali said the company is also working with other key telecommunication firms to expedite infrastructure expansion in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure that Malaysia achieves its national aspiration as stated in the National Digital Network (JENDELA) plan.
Last year, Maxis invested a total of RM1.2 billion to provide its clients nationwide with quality service.
“Sabah and Sarawak are very important to Maxis and we want to ensure the best service can be enjoyed by all our customer segments, including the lower income B40 group.
“However, the surrounding areas in Sabah and Sarawak are more challenging compared to the peninsular, and we have just discussed with the Sarawak side how we can expedite and expand coverage there,” he said during Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme on investments in the country through JENDELA.
He added that Maxis and other key telco players in Malaysia have continued to collaborate under the JENDELA initiative.
Under the first phase (2020-2022) of the plan, telco providers will set up new 4G sites in rural areas and in existing sites, among others.
“Every service provider will take certain districts which allow the sharing of services. Hence the higher cost, due to lack of infrastructure like roads, can be reduced,” he said, adding that at present, 3G networks are still available in inland areas to ensure that the needy continue to have access to coverage. – TVS
