Step Up Internet Quality At Sabah Tourist Spots Ahead Of Vm2026 Says Fahmi

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 The communications minister says this will allow travellers to enjoy high-speed connectivity to share their experiences of Malaysia’s natural beauty.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil (right) uses a Nemo Handy to gauge internet coverage at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan, Sabah, yesterday. (Bernama pic)SANDAKAN: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and telecommunications companies have been urged to prioritise and formulate immediate solutions to enhance internet quality at key tourist destinations in Sabah, particularly in preparation for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026)
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said this was essential to ensure that tourists can enjoy high-speed internet to share their experiences of Malaysia’s natural beauty, especially Sabah, while also benefiting from top-tier connectivity services.
“My aspiration is to ensure that connectivity issues, particularly at Sabah’s tourism hotspots, receive focused attention from telecommunication service providers and the MCMC. We want tourists to enjoy fast internet access, especially as we approach Visit Malaysia 2026.
“Apart from mobile coverage, I have requested that special attention be given to improving public Wi-Fi facilities, as we find that visitors at tourist sites want to upload what they experience for their social media content,” he said after attending a coverage testing session at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) here yesterday.
He said that in addition to improving service quality for the general public, this initiative could generate economic spillover for tourism-based businesses by expanding their online promotional reach.
On the testing session, Fahmi said five telecommunication service providers – CelcomDigi, Maxis, UMobile, Unifi Mobile, and Yes – were evaluated, with average internet speeds ranging between 89 Mbps and 200 Mbps.
He said the results showed that internet coverage was satisfactory in key areas at both the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the RDC.
“However, there are still a few areas with weak coverage, such as the reception counter and veterinary clinic at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, and the Lakeside Pavilion at the RDC.
“Beyond Sepilok, we also found that other tourist locations like Sipadan Island in Semporna, which is world-renowned for diving, have limited power supply and, in some cases, no electricity at all. Yet, these places attract many tourists. We must ensure such destinations have reliable communication coverage,” he said.
Fahmi said the MCMC had carried out a total of 1,257 mandatory standards testing sessions for wireless broadband service quality (MSQoS) across the country in the first quarter of this year.
He said 196 of the testing sessions were conducted in Sabah.
Based on monitoring and regulatory activities this year, 135 notices under Subsection 51(2) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 have been issued to telecommunications companies.
“Between 2023 and 2024, a total of 46 compound notices amounting to RM6.55 million were imposed for non-compliance with MSQoS,” he said.
He said the MCMC would continue its monitoring and regulatory efforts and would not hesitate to enforce the legal provisions in place to ensure that service providers comply with the MSQoS coverage standards. - FMT

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