Operators urged to share networks for easy connectivity

TO BOOST the reach of mobile phone coverage for users, the Government is pushing mobile operators to voluntarily allow customers of rival companies to roam on their network as well as allow users to keep their existing mobile phone numbers even when switching to a rival service provider. “But, by the end of next year, if coverage has not improved tremendously, and (the operators) themselves do not agree on domestic roaming, we will gazette or legislate domestic roaming whether they like it or not,” Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Last May, all three mobile operators were given until the end of October to provide full coverage for Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. Full coverage will have to be extended nationwide by end-2005. The minister said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has already prodded all three mobile phone operators to provide coverage to populated areas and improve the quality of service either by the sharing of towers, renting of towers from third party providers, domestic roaming or mobile number portability. “I won’t say all places, but in main places where people are, there must be connectivity. We are reasonable, we are not telling mobile operators to build towers in the middle of the jungle, but we want full coverage especially along highways and main roads. “If the ‘kampung’ has a cluster of about 200 to 300 houses — yes, there should be connections, mobile phone and broadband Internet. If your house is the only one in the middle of the jungle, then I’m sorry. But if your house is in Taman Negara where thousands of tourists go, then yes, we want mobile operators to provide good coverage,” Dr Lim said. He was speaking to reporters after launching Suasa Informasi (M) Sdn Bhd’s prepaid reload service dubbed “‘2Reload”, which allows credit card holders the choice of reloading Maxis or Celcom prepaid phone airtime via SMS (short messaging service), a phone call or the Internet. Mobile operators have disputed the Government’s target for blanket mobile phone coverage by end of next year, given that it requires the same number of networks sites that was built over eight years to be built in 20 months. The minister also said the MCMC have been told “to push and almost order” operators to allow rivals to piggy-back on their towers for a fee. Being the oldest cellular company, Celcom (M) Bhd with some 4,400 towers, claims that it has coverage of some 94 per cent of populated areas. DiGi.com Bhd, the smallest, claims over 80 per cent coverage. Dr Lim said operators use difficulty in getting approvals and erecting towers as an excuse of not sharing and not providing wider coverage for phone users. As for towers built by third- party providers, it is understood that these structures are currently only shared on a quid pro quo basis between mobile operators, thus eliminating the need for rental payments. “There is a disproportion of towers (owned) by different companies, so the situation is you wait for me and I wait for you to build the towers. They say I give you one, you give me one in return, but now I am telling them to put equipment onto the (rival’s) towers first then we will talk about rental. The MCMC will arbitrate rental rates,” Dr Lim said. Apart from erecting towers, he also said mobile operators can use other means like satellite technology to provide connectivity or coverage — if they want to. “Give coverage or tell customers where you don’t have coverage so people won’t sign up. Say, this area we don’t cover, so please don’t buy my number. I ask you would operators do that?” “What’s the use of having providers when there is no connectivity? Only one-third of the population is connected, I’m sure you want to sell to the other two-thirds also,” he said. He also urged consumers to complain to mobile operators and the MCMC and demand good service. Meanwhile, Dr Lim said the Cabinet is aware of security concerns arising from the abuse by users of prepaid mobile phones who make hoax calls. “The Cabinet has reviewed the situation and has decided to absorb this inconvenience and not (decree) to register all prepaid phone users as the exercise is tedious and will be disruptive to the mobile operator’s business. “But the abuse has not come to a serious level. If it does, then we may have to reconsider,” he said. By the end of March, there were 9.25 million prepaid mobile phone users in Malaysia, some 78.82 per cent of the country’s entire 11.74 million mobile phone-user base.