PUTRAJAYA: The Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will continue its efforts to create an ecosystem for data centres that offer specialised expertise and high-tech cloud computing services.

In a statement yesterday, MCMC said this was in line with the intention to realise aims under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) 2021-2025 to provide high quality and comprehensive access to digital infrastructure so that Malaysia becomes a high-tech, high-income country.

MCMC said Internet exchange point (IXP) providers would increase from its current 12 to 66 by 2025.

An IXP ensures that the exchange of Internet traffic between service providers and content delivery networks is smoother and faster while reducing the need for upstream data transit to decreasing transmission costs.

To strengthen the local digital economy for the people, especially those in the B40 (lower income) group, 873 Community Internet Centres had now been transformed into Malaysian Family Digital Economy Centres (PEDi), the commission said.

MCMC said the number of PEDi, which would play a role in empowering digital economic activities by developing Internet usage skills as well as increasing e-commerce engagement, would be increased with a target of one PEDi in each state constituency.

MCMC will also continue to intensify the Small Entrepreneur Digitalisation Empowerment (Pupuk) programme to encourage micro entrepreneurs to switch to digitalisation, which will benefit 800,000 micro entrepreneurs by 2025.

On the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela), MCMC said currently its implementation has achieved its targets on a quarterly basis since September 2020.

“Comprehensive connectivity and 5G technology can change the trajectory of the country’s digital economy and trigger the Fourth Industrial Revolution which will contribute a total of 25.5% to the Gross Domestic Product by 2025,” MCMC said.

The implementation of Jendela (2021-2025) aims to improve the coverage and quality of 4G broadband services nationwide to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas and to spark digital innovation that will develop the digital economy.

Through Jendela, the 4G network is also strengthened by terminating the 3G network in stages until the end of 2021 so that the spectrum can be utilised by 4G network services. — Bernama