Malaysia to be fiber-network optimised within next three years

CYBERJAYA: Malaysia is expected to be fiber-network optimised within the next three years, covering up to six million premises in both urban and rural areas, said Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari.
"This means the gap between the urban and rural areas is getting narrower as anyone can benefit from the digital economy," he said at the Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum Malaysia (CFM) themed 'Evolution of Digital Consumer' here today.
As the fiberisation initiative rolls out throughout the nation, he said the adoption of digital business or e-commerce would be unavoidable.
Asean's contribution to the global e-commerce volume, which is said to be less than one per cent previously, is expected to increase as more and more Malaysians get fully engaged in the digital economy, he said.
Jailani said the Internet Users Survey conducted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in 2016 found that the percentage of Internet users reached 77.9% in the third quarter of 2016.
The report also shows a massive increase in smartphone ownership from 74.3% in 2014 to 90.7% in 2015, suggesting that Malaysians were already integrating digital advancements into their daily lives, he added.
Jailani said the one-day forum was important in connecting industry experts with consumers, exposing intellectual, creative and innovative solutions that influenced consumer behaviour and driving transformation in the adoption and integration of digital advancements into the daily lives.
The forum was held in conjunction with the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2017 themed 'Big Data for Big Impact' and it followed the success of a similar discourse held by CFM previously. — Bernama