WiFi service is to be established in 500 villages in Sabah and 600 villages in Sarawak beginning next year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Joseph Salang said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had implemented various initiatives, such as the community broadband centres and telecommunications towers, to bring broadband service to the interior areas of the country.

He dismissed an allegation by Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan), in a supplementary question during question time, that Sabah and Sarawak had been sidelined in the provision of broadband services.

Salang said many broadband service projects were initiated by the private sector which went into high-demand markets, but even then not all projects which the government wanted to implement had been carried out.

He also said that Telekom Malaysia (TM) did not monopolise the high-speed broadband service in the country, and added that TM had not been offered a contract to provide the service as it was a joint-venture project between the government and the company.

"TM is an operator of the high-speed broadband service and holds the rights to offer tenders for broadband projects to domestic and international suppliers.

"The joint-venture project costs RM11.3 billion, with the government investment being RM2.4 billion," he said when replying to the original question, from Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan).

Salang said MCMC had issued 51 licences to service providers and all of them were permitted to provide broadband service.

"As such, the issue of a monopoly in the provision of broadband service in the country does not arise," he said.

- Bernama