KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have been urged to tap into the business, social and personal growth opportunities that comes with the recent launch of the Measat-3d satellite.
Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) information chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid said everyone, especially the youth, should tap into the wealth of opportunities presented by this infrastructure.
"If Malaysians, especially the youth and those living in rural and semi-rural areas, do not take advantage of the connectivity infrastructure available, we will lose out in the global race.
"As mentioned by our prime minister who witnessed the event, the RM1.2 billion satellite, Measat's eighth and most advanced so far, can go a long way towards bridging the digital divide in Malaysia," he said in a statement today.
By 2025, the satellite will be able to provide Internet coverage for all populated areas and will also be able to improve the quality of broadband services to be as good as fibre optic networks.
Carried on the Ariane 5 rocket, the newest Measat Global Bhd's RM1.2 billion satellite lifted off from Kourou Space Centre in South America at 5.50am Malaysian time on Thursday.
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.
"Today, we live in a connected world. The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to us the immense potential Internet connectivity has to offer. Among the areas that infrastructure like Measat-3d presents include market access, skills upgrading, knowledge resource and personal growth," he said
"For example, a handicraft maker who used to have limited market access, now has the whole world as the market, minus the middleman. Similarly, planters can learn from the Internet tips to boost their yield, while the young could pick up coding lessons off the Internet," said Zakaria.
In this respect, he said PBM applauds the prime minister not just for overseeing the launch of the satellite, but for his commitment towards bridging the digital divide across the country, including East Malaysia, where some pockets of areas have poor connectivity, as part of the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative to bring Internet connectivity to every part of the country.