The National 4IR and Digital Economy Council, chaired by YAB Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and supported by relevant Ministers, private sector representatives, academia and civil societies (CSOs) has been established with an integrated governance structure will enhance the country’s ability in optimising the development of 4IR technology and ensuring that the growth of the digital economy is in line with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
MCMC’s role in the council will be instrumental to the Digital Infrastructure and Data cluster as part of six (6) thrusts under the council. In this cluster, MCMC aims to drive greater adoption of 4IR technologies within the government services with National Digital ID acting as the catalyst, prioritise investment on basic infrastructure in rural areas to enable the adoption of 4IR technologies and ramp up the development of digital infrastructure and data.
MCMC welcomes the Budget 2021 commitment to develop a holistic national digital strategy across the industrial sector and Malaysians via JENDELA Following the Budget 2021 announcement on the 6 November, MCMC welcomed its decision to allocate RM9.4 billion to bridge the digital divide and provide better telecommunications infrastructure through JENDELA and the PRIHATIN Network Programme. In line with the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia’s plan to make the Internet a third utility similar to water and electricity, The PRIHATIN network programme will give over 8 million B40 Malaysians RM 180 worth of internet and communication rebates. JENDELA running in 2 phases will see better access of cable broadband with a speed of up one gigabit to 7.5 million premises and give priority to 4G mobile broadband coverage from 91.8% to 96.9% in populated areas as well as improving broadband mobile speed from 25Mbps to 35Mbps. This will also include the termination of the 3G network in stages until the end of 2021 to strengthen the 4G network and boosting the basic network for 5G in Phase 1.
C&M continues its buoyancy while the Postal and Courier sector maintains its standing
In October 2020, the communications and multimedia (C&M) market capitalization
posted MYR127.71 billion in market capitalisation representing 7.7% of total Bursa Malaysia’s market capitalization led by Maxis and Digi at 2.33% and 1.84% respectively. Despite an overall drop of 1%, the Postal & Courier sector recorded a healthy growth of 43% in market capitalisation since April 2020, driven by the increase in demand from eCommerce and online marketplaces. Conversely, the Broadcasting sector lackluster outlook is due to the worsening performance of traditional media primarily print, radio and television subscriptions amid the structural shift to digital offerings combined with a poor ADEX outlook further worsened by the COVID-19 impact.
MCMC implements initiatives to further strengthen the Postal and Courier industry with
preparations for a collaborative action plan.
The new normal has seen the postal workers quickly adapt to the surge of domestic shipments increasing by 10% in Q1 2020 to 61 million parcels compared to 56 million parcels in Q1 2019 with parcels estimated to increase to almost 100 million by Q2 2020. The introduction of the “Pakej Prihatin Pos dan Kurier” with a flat shipping rate of RM 5 during the MCO by MCMC has also furthered this growth. With the rising demand for postal and courier services, MCMC foresees the investment for hightechnology infrastructure development is essential to increase the handling capacity and parcel processing efficiency, which is expected to reach 1 billion items by 2025. In line with the initiative, MCMC with the consent of the Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia has decided to issue a Moratorium on the granting of new licenses courier for 2 years from 14 September 2020 to 15 September 2022. This is to allow some time for the government and the industry partners to make new plans to strengthen the sector which faces various challenges due to technological changes and market trends.
MCMC Celebrates the Postal and Courier Industry for World Postal Day 2020 as Frontliners
The World Postal Day 2020 was celebrated on 9 October 2020. MCMC thanked all postal and courier workers in Malaysia for their dedication and commitment to serving Malaysians nationwide during the pandemic and helping them adapt to the new normal. As front liners with strict SOPs and contactless delivery options, the postal and courier workers have been
instrumental in enabling the e-commerce and the digital economy. To date, there are 111 postal and courier licensed companies providing services at various levels in the country.
MCMC Introduces several initiatives to ensure Malaysians remained connected during CMCO
Following the recent CMCO order in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Sabah due to the new rise in COVID-19 cases, MCMC together with the country’s leading telecommunications companies has already taken several proactive approaches, to ensure Malaysians continue
to have the opportunity to enjoy Internet services including:
• Free Internet offer of 1GB per day under JENDELA until 31 December 2020
• Free SIM card by YES service provider of 40GB of data to all parents and students in government schools, students and faculty members of institutions of higher learning
• Additional fiber capacity by TM and TIME to accommodate the increasing use of the Internet
• Additional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) packages
MCMC issued a PSA on Consumer Rights to Get the Best Quality of Service
In a move to ensure that consumers are getting the best possible service from telco providers, MCMC recently issued a public service announcement (PSA) educating consumers on their rights for the best quality of service. Telecommunication service providers were also urged to provide Malaysians the best service to all users at all times, as promised including good service during installation, quality of service when in use, fast and accurate management of user complaints and well-treated and professional users.
MCMC also called for Malaysians to report their feedback or any complaint to the service provider in advance as prescribed in accordance with the provisions of the General User Code of Practice (GCC) to obtain appropriate solutions. Alternatively, they could also make a follow-up complaint on the MCMC Complaints Portal via the link https://aduan.skmm.gov.my but urged them to be responsible when making complaints.
