KUALA LUMPUR – The Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) initiative to improve digital connectivity in the nation received international commendation last week, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Announcing the matter during a press conference at Parliament here today, Fahmi said the project was recognised by the World Summit on the Information Society Prizes 2023 organised by the International Telecommunication Union and several United Nations groups.
“Jendela won the award under the Information and Communication Infrastructure – An Essential Foundation for an Inclusive Information Society category,” Fahmi said, noting that the award was conferred on March 14.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parties, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, telecommunications companies, the federal as well as the state government, for their continuous efforts with Jendela.
“This success is a huge global recognition for Malaysia in realising our aspirations to ensure proper network coverage and connectivity as well as the provision of quality internet services for citizens,” he added.
He also expressed his hopes that the award will motivate industry players to continue improving their services for the people.
Jendela was designed to provide wider coverage and a better broadband quality experience for the people as the country moves to 5G technology. The project is implemented in stages, with Phase 1 commencing in 2020 and ending last year while Phase 2 is projected to be completed in 2025.
Commenting on the project’s implementation, Fahmi said that achievements as of the fourth quarter of 2022 have been encouraging, with 7.74 million premises nationwide having been equipped with fibre-optics infra, surpassing the earlier target of 7.5 million.
“The 5G implementation, which was originally planned for Phase 2, has been initiated in Phase 1 towards the end of 2021.
“Managed by Digital National Bhd, the 5G roll-out is now on track to achieve targets set, with a total of 4,363 5G sites developed in the country as of February,” he said.