Boosting ICT access - Initiative for semi-rural communities

More than 100 semi-rural communities in Perak, Kedah, Perlis and Pahang are set to gain access to information and communications technology (ICT) facilities. This will be carried out through an integrated initiative called Community Communications Development Programme (CCDP) under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The initiative will initially see the provision of voice communications through public telephone booths and the setting up of commercial communications and multimedia centres called Kedai.Kom in the selected areas. In the longer term, it is targeted that each of the communities involved will be able to use the facilities to develop a portal aimed at enhancing their socio-economic activities and improve their quality of life. According to MCMC chairman Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid, the programme works through a smart partnership concept which involves the commission, the respective State governments, the private sector and the target communities. “MCMC, as advisor, is working together with the various State Economic Planning Units to identify local entrepreneurs and the suitable premises for the Kedai.Kom to operate in. The entrepreneurs will be trained to manage the business involved and provide related services, together with a communications service provider,” she told Computimes in Kuala Lumpur. Nuraizah said MCMC has a RM90 million budget for the programme, with RM30 million carried over from last year. “We are allocating RM220,000 for each entrepreneur to start with. At the shop, during the launching phase, there will be five personal computers (PCs), Internet connections and two public phone booths. If the business is not yet viable for the first, MCMC will support the operating cost for the period,” she added. There are already 11 Kedai.Koms established: five in the Hulu Perak district and five in the Manjung district in Perak, which were rolled out in March. Meanwhile, the latest is the outlet in Kampung Sentua, Kepala Batas, Utan Aji in Perlis, which was launched last Saturday as part of the World Telecommunication Day celebrations. Two more will be launched today in Kampung Telok Talipon, Kubang Rotan, Kota Setar, and Kampung Batu Hampar, Merbok, Kuala Muda in Kedah. “We hope that by year-end, all the districts in Perak, Kedah, Perlis and Pahang will at least have a network of Kedai.Kom. 44 more Kedai.Koms will be established in Perak. An equivalent number in Kedah and only five more in Perlis. Pahang will have slightly more than Perak because the State has more under-served areas,” Nuraizah said. For the selection of service providers, MCMC has already carried out the bidding process for Perak where 20 companies were invited to participate for the setting up of the present 10 Kedai.Koms in Hulu Perak and Manjung. “We hope they will come in and make a bid for the 44 more projects in Perak. When we go to Kedah, there’ll be another bidding process and the same will happen in Pahang when we go there,” Nuraizah said. MCMC will not be bringing CCDP to States like Penang and Malacca as they are a bit more advanced in terms of ICT access. On other plans, Nuraizah said MCMC will be going back to Pakan in Sarawak and Kinabatangan in Sabah where the CCDP pilot was launched in December last year. “We plan to bring Internet service to the two places and also introduce the integrated concept of Kedai.Kom, which did not figure in the pilot.” The pilot project, which involved Rumah King in Pakan and Kampung Paris 1 in Kinabatangan, was a two-phased initiative that included communications infrastructure set-up and PC access.