PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recorded a decline in dropped calls for each 4G mobile network ranging from 10 to 74 per cent, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said the success in lowering the rate of dropped calls was driven by the efforts of 4G mobile network operators in optimising their networks.

This is also the result of the efforts of Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) to activate the Call Re-establishment (CRE) function for LTE700 coverage in the 5G network from December 21 to 29, 2023 for all 5G sites nationwide, he said.

“A meeting between MCMC, mobile network providers and DNB was held on December 14, 2023 to discuss the problem of dropped calls.

“Following the meeting, a workshop was organised to find the best solution to deal with this problem,” Fahmi told a press conference on the Cellular Service Quality Test (Voice Calls) at the ministry here Earlier, Fahmi and his deputy Teo Nie Ching were taken on a bus ride from the Parliament Building in Kuala Lumpur to the Ministry of Communications in Putrajaya to personally observe and assess the quality of mobile phone calls, whether satisfactory or otherwise.

The test aims to assess the network coverage provided by telecommunications service providers in Malaysia, hence addressing the issue that has been a topic of complaint by several parties of late.

Fahmi said the government viewed seriously the issue that was often raised by consumers and wanted it to be dealt with immediately for the benefit of the people.

Commenting further, between January 1 and December 13, 2023, Fahmi said the audit conducted by MCMC showed that a total of 1,837 disconnected calls had been recorded, including cases that occurred outside the coverage area.

Based on today’s test, the analysis report showed that no dropped calls were recorded during the 45-minute journey.

“I would like to emphasise here that the test is a Cellular Service Quality Test and not internet calls,” he said.

Fahmi said the MCMC would continue to monitor this issue throughout the first quarter of 2024 and report back to him from time to time.

Meanwhile, he said matters related to the 5G coverage nationwide, especially in institutions of higher learning, would also be a priority for the ministry.

Fahmi said the matter had been notified to all telecommunications companies and Ministry of Communications secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa would work with the Ministry of Higher Education to examine the matter, including the issues of outdoor coverage, in-building coverage or WiFi coverage faced by students. — Bernama