Speaking at the virtual launch of MyDigital and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, Muhyiddin announced that RM15 billion will be invested in 5G implementation projects nationwide over the next 10 years.
“With this, Malaysia will be one of the first few countries in the region to build a 5G ecosystem using the internet and cloud services in real-time, to enable immediate sharing of information,” he said in identifying the important digital infrastructure under the initiative which needs to be established first.
The others are investing RM21 billion over the next five years through the National Digital Network or Jendela programme to strengthen the existing connectivity.
This will see a fixed line optical fibre network covering nine million premises by the end of 2025.
A total of RM1.65 billion, Muhyiddin said, will also be invested by several telecommunication companies to strengthen connectivity to the international submarine cable network until the year 2023.
He said this will open up more space for faster and more stable international data transfer, thus lowering internet costs to consumers in Malaysia.
Cloud Service Provider (CSP) companies will also be investing RM12 billion to RM15 billion over the next five years
Muhyiddin also said the 5G technology will serve as a “game changer” as more smart services with direct impact will be made available for the well-being of the people.
“5G technology not only promises better and faster internet access but, more importantly, it also enables various important applications to be in the hands of end-users, including health monitoring applications for chronic patients, smart emergency assistance, and special applications for senior citizens who are living alone.”
Muhyiddin went on to say that MyDigital has mapped out initiatives and targets, to be completed in three phases by 2030.
This included the target for the digital economy to contribute 22.6% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provide 500,000 jobs in this sector.
Muhyiddin added that the government would be assisting 875,00 micro enterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to transition to e-commerce.
“The initiatives under MyDigital will also catalyse 5,000 start-ups within the next five years. This initiative will also be a starting point to attract RM70 billion in domestic and international digital investments,” Muhyiddin said.
The government is also targeting for a 30% increase in productivity levels of the economic sector by 2030, he said.
He also said for the public sector, all agencies would provide cashless transaction facilities as the “main option” by 2022.
Communications and multimedia minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the rolling out of 5G by the end of this year was a significant development as the government had initially planned to implement 5G technology only in 2022.
“If we follow the Jendela plan, it was not supposed to be announced today. It would have been announced, maybe, on this day next year. We have done quite well in facilitating the rollout of 5G, a year ahead of our plans,” he said at a press conference after the launch.
He added that the government had been working hard to obtain investments to ensure the success of the plan.
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