PUTRAJAYA: The adoption of the Wireless Bridging System (WBS), which leverages existing resources for internet connectivity, is seen as the best solution to realise the aspiration of achieving 100 per cent mobile broadband coverage nationwide by 2025.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the government might consider the WBS, as it could serve as a faster and more affordable temporary solution for improving internet access in remote areas.
He said that the proposal to use the technology could be a complementary measure to long-term initiatives such as the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela).
“In addition to satellite internet, WBS can be adapted to expand internet access through existing facilities such as e-Desa centres, community internet centres, and PEDi (digital economy centres), thereby enhancing their role in ensuring digital connectivity for the community.
“The WBS system is also fast to install (in less than a month), showing its potential to expand internet access in remote areas and help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities,” he told reporters after attending the Expanding Internet Access through WBS programme here today.
Also present was Pensiangan member of Parliament Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Chang said the potential of WBS was demonstrated through a proof of concept (PoC) project in 2022, carried out by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) in collaboration with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and TM One, with support from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, in Kampung Pajam, Beranang, Selangor.
“Following the PoC, the WBS system was installed at Sekolah Kebangsaan Simbuan Tulid in Keningau, Sabah, last year under the MADANI Economy: Empowering the People initiave, and began operating in September.PLANS TO USE WBS
“With a cost of RM300,000, which includes a three-year high-speed satellite internet subscription and the installation of a WBS system to expand internet access, the initiative has benefited 158 students, 15 teachers, and 480 residents in the area,” he said.
Elaborating, Chang said the ministry would extend the use of the WBS concept to other areas, including outside Sabah and Sarawak, depending on demand.
“We will review requests to use the WBS in other areas on a case-by-case basis, considering both the suitability of the location and the electrical infrastructure available,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who is also the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security expressed his appreciation for Mosti and ASM’s commitment to focusing on areas in need of the WBS initiative.
“This will certainly increase access to technology and information that might have been out of reach in the past while also paving the way for online learning and stimulating local economic growth through digital business,” he said.
