KOUROU, French Guiana: Malaysia is now closer to reaching 100 per cent connectivity as outlined in the government's Jendela initiative by 2025, with the launch of Measat-3d satellite.
Carried on the Ariane 5 rocket, the newest Measat Global Bhd's RM1.2 billion satellite lifted off from Kourou Space Centre here at 6.50pm (5.50am Malaysian time Thursday), about 20 minutes later than the scheduled time due to additional safety checks.
The new satellite will also enable Malaysians to enjoy high-speed internet whether in urban and suburban areas or hard-to-reach rural villages, via Measat's CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service.
The Airbus-built satellite will significantly enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) from the current 30 Mbps in areas with limited or no terrestrial connectivity throughout Malaysia while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K
Chief operating officer Yau Chyong Lim said Measat's CONNECTme NOW would link 10,000 sites in the next three years to serve more than two million rakyat in remote areas with limited access to high-speed broadband internet.
Measat has so far rolled out more than 3,000 CONNECTme NOW sites nationwide, with a majority in the remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the multi-mission satellite is the most comprehensive and complex satellite in Measat's fleet yet.
It will also restore unrivalled in-orbit redundancy and expansion capacity for Astro's Direct-to-Home service together with broadcasting and telecommunications services in the region.