TEN out of 40 national Starlink units have been installed in Sabah during the two Proof of Concept (POC) phases carried out by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (KSTI), Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Arif, said they have been installed at Kampung Langsat in Ranau and SK Malaing in Keningau in 2023.
The two others are in Papar, two more in Tawau and one each in the Keningau, Kudat, Tuaran and Nabawan districts.
He explained that the POC is a feasibility run for broadband satellite internet as a one-year interim solution for network connectivity issues faced in Sabah’s interiors before the long-term solution, National Digital Network Plan (Jendela), is completed.
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell awards Sabah LiveWIRE winners Kota Kinabalu: Shell has awarded five enterprises as the state winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2024, following the Sabah state finals held at Plaza Shell in Kota Kinabalu. . Read more “The Sabah State Government, through KSTI, is also actively installing 300 Starlink units throughout the state.
“This initiative aims to provide internet facilities for locations not listed under Jendela, ensuring access to stable and quality internet to bridge the digital divide,” he said.
He was responding to (Star - Liawan) Datuk Anwar Ayub who queried the number of Starlink and Point of Presence (PoP) interface points in the upper interiors.
“A number of 59 schools and 8 industrial locations are equipped and operating under Phase 1 of the PoP initiative in Sabah.
“Phase 2 involves 636 schools in the state which is currently being implemented,” he said.
(Warisan - Sulabayan) Datuk Jaujan Sambakong asked if the State government is aware that Jendela has failed to meet the 2022 deadline due to problems with the contractor, quoting the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital.
To this, Arifin said he had met with the Minister, Fahmi Fadzil who gave his assurance that the first phase of Jendela in Sabah will be under constant monitoring.
"Yes, we are aware there was a problem with the contractor, while twenty per cent of the problem pertains to land.
“We are updating the people with information through booths in every state assembly. It tells of coverage, infrastructure progress and the issues faced,” he said, inviting Jaujan to visit one.
Meanwhile, 14,830 tertiary Sabahan students studying in the Peninsula, Sarawak and Labuan have received Sabah Graduan Rindun Sabah (GRS) or Flight Ticket Subsidies (Subfly).
Arifin said students under the programme have been credited by their respective sponsors, which are the Sabah State Scholarship (BKNS), Sabah Foundation and
Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS).
“Students who did not receive sponsors were arranged by the Deputy State Secretary’s Office (Special Tasks),” he said, answering appointed assemblywoman Datuk Amisah Yassin.
She asked how many successful recipients there were and those that were pending. “As of Friday (5 July) 2024, the State Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) office has completed reviewing all 16,364 applications with 4,418 reprimands.
“The rest were rejected for not meeting the criteria.
However, applications are expected to continue to increase following the admission of new students in July and October this year,” he said.
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