Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil says all technical disruptions with the new emergency platform have been resolved following a meeting with Telekom Malaysia and the Health Ministry.
KUALA LUMPUR: All technical disruptions involving the new Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999) platform have been fully resolved.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said this followed a meeting between his ministry, the Health Ministry and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).
Fahmi said the meeting, held at TM headquarters, resolved several matters related to the system’s implementation.
“Several issues have been addressed, and to date there are no more problems with the system,” he told the Dewan Negara during his ministry’s winding-up session.
He clarified that most of the matters raised involved personnel issues, which have since been reorganised by TM and the Health Ministry.
“That too has been managed well, so Alhamdulillah, there are no longer any outstanding issues,” he added.
Responding to a question on possible action against TM, Fahmi said the matter would be subject to review by a joint committee.
“If there are penalties that can be imposed, I leave it to the team conducting the review,” he said.
He explained that if findings confirm any breach, the government will follow what is stipulated in the signed contract.
The minister clarified that TM, as the telecommunications infrastructure provider, receives the initial emergency calls before channelling them to recipient agencies.
These agencies include the Health Ministry, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Force and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Fahmi also said the NG999 system was developed to replace the Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS999).
The total allocation for the project is RM1.25 billion, covering development and operations over 12 years.
He further informed that the implementation process adhered to all procedures and agreements, including the User Acceptance Test verified by the Health Ministry.
“When the system went live, all processes and procedures were followed. This means the Health Ministry had also agreed to sign the UAT,” he said.
On a separate issue, Fahmi said the government is studying a proposal to set a minimum age of 16 for social media users.
This would be detailed under the Online Safety Act 2025 through subsidiary instruments and the Child Protection Code.
He reported that between January 2022 and November 30 this year, 1,569 takedown requests involving obscene content related to children were submitted to social media platforms.
Of these, 95% were removed. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also received 52,315 takedown requests involving cyberbullying content, with 76% removed within the same period.
In tackling online gambling, 458,697 takedown requests for gambling-related content were submitted, with 96% removed.
A total of 6,247 online gambling sites were also blocked. Responding to suggestions on developing local digital games, Fahmi said Finas and MDEC continue to support creative content development.
Through the Digital Content and Creative Technology Fund, 58 digital game projects have been supported by local companies.
A total of 38 creative intellectual properties were also produced between 2022 and 2024.
Regarding cable maintenance in rural areas, he said the responsibility lies with service providers or companies involved in infrastructure installation and maintenance.
