KUALA LUMPUR: It is important for the government to continue to focus on closing the broadband gap between rural and urban areas in the upcoming Budget 2023, Measat Global Bhd chief operating officer Yao Chyong Lim said.

Yao said the continued funding initiatives by the government on this front would further enforce the acceleration of the formation of a digitally-inclusive society.

"Today, internet access is a basic necessity, on par with clean water and electricity.

"Government initiatives like the MyDigital blueprint and the Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) plan, which target to achieve 100 per cent internet coverage in populated areas and increase mobile broadband speed to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) by the end of 2025, require the utmost attention.  

"This is to ensure that any members of the population who are unconnected will finally be able to access the socioeconomic benefits of the internet.

"Likewise, internet connectivity has been identified as a key growth enabler in the 12th Malaysia Plan to enable IR4.0 technology and the digital economy," he said in a statement today.

He added that Measat is heartened to see the Jendela programme bringing forward plans to leverage satellite connectivity to improve mobile coverage in remote areas to address connectivity challenges in rural and remote areas.

"As Malaysia's leading satellite operator, Measat remains ready to support national goals with our satellite fleet by expanding high-speed satellite broadband coverage in the unserved and underserved rural areas through our CONNECTme NOW service.

"Our newly launched MEASAT-3d satellite has been operational since August 2022, and villages across the nation with the CONNECTme NOW service are already beginning to enjoy access to higher broadband speeds than before.

"We hope to see more Malaysians in remote locations enjoying similar high-speed broadband services in the very near future," he added.