PETALING JAYA: It is not only people, businesses and economies that have experienced a slowdown due to the movement control order (MCO), but also internet speeds.
Many Malaysians have taken to social media to rant about internet lagging and slow speeds during the MCO period, as millions are forced to work from home.
This reduction in internet speed could be due to increased internet usage and a shift in network traffic.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) revealed that internet traffic had increased by 23.5% in the first week of the MCO, compared with the previous week.
The second week saw a further increase in traffic, albeit at a slower pace of 8.6%.
Malaysia is now entering the fourth week, or the final phase of the MCO, provided the government does not extend it.
In an email to theSun, MCMC explained that the work-from-home concept currently practised by many companies had shifted network traffic from business areas to residential districts.
To address this, it said telecommunication companies have been upgrading their infrastructure and network, as part of the RM400 million assistance announced in the government’s economic stimulus package.
“All operators continue to invest where needed and have established teams working 24/7 during the MCO period to maintain sites, upgrade capacities, optimise networks and improve coverage.
“Operators will continue to work closely with the authorities and MCMC to carry out rectification and upgrading works required to ensure service network availability is not compromised.
MCMC has incurred additional expenditure to enhance network coverage and capacity in critical sectors such as hospitals, key government and enforcement agencies and media centres.
The commission added despite the challenges, it strives to ensure that continuous service is available.
