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THE nation’s push to strengthen nationwide digital connectivity under the Jalinan Digital Negara programme has achieved near-full completion for Phase One, with 99.1 per cent of planned digital infrastructure works completed, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said on Monday.
The commission said JENDELA Phase One and Phase Two continue to underpin efforts to expand broadband coverage and improve network quality across the country, including targeted upgrades at seven priority areas comprising public higher education institutions, tourist destinations, stadiums, event venues, military camps, hospitals and highways.
Under JENDELA Phase One, mobile broadband capacity, coverage and quality were significantly enhanced through the construction of 1,661 new communications towers using Radio Access Network sharing under the Multi-Operator Core Network approach, the Commision said in a statement on Monday.
As of Dec 31, 2025, 1,646 towers had been completed, representing 99.1 per cent of the target, while 1,618 of these towers were already fully operational with 2G and 4G services.
The remaining works are expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of 2026.
The number of premises passed by network infrastructure rose sharply from 4.96 million before JENDELA to 9.81 million premises by the end of December 2025, surpassing the initial target of nine million. Mobile broadband performance also recorded substantial gains, with median download speeds rising to 143.70 Mbps, exceeding national benchmarks.
Internet coverage in populated areas expanded to 99.71 per cent by the end of 2025, up from 91.8 per cent prior to the programme’s implementation.
The commission said these improvements were supported by extensive network investments by mobile network operators, including the deployment of new 4G infrastructure, upgrades to existing sites and the benefits of shared infrastructure under the MOCN framework.
Since August 2025, operators have been required to submit detailed coverage improvement plans, which are closely monitored by the commission and guided by industry standards on network infrastructure sharing.
Significant progress was also recorded across the seven focus areas.
At public universities, polytechnics and community colleges, more than 34,000 Wi-Fi access points have already been installed across 126 campuses, with a further 73,768 access points planned to ensure comprehensive connectivity.
At military facilities, fibre optic infrastructure has been deployed at 73 camps, enabling Fibre to the Home connectivity for 59,240 Armed Forces Family Housing units.
Network capacity and coverage were also enhanced at 18 higher education institutions and 17 major event venues nationwide, including Sepang Circuit, SPICE Arena Penang, Sabah International Convention Centre and Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, supporting high-demand usage during large-scale events.
The commission said the targeted and phased implementation approach has enabled more efficient and effective expansion of internet coverage, including in less densely populated areas such as highway corridors, by deploying technologies best suited to local conditions.
MCMC said it will continue to closely monitor the programme’s rollout to ensure sustainable and consistent improvements in internet coverage and service quality, in line with the objectives of JENDELA Phase Two to extend connectivity to sparsely populated areas and key transportation corridors. - January 26, 2026
