Energy, Water and Communication Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik said today that his ministry will use the Land Acquisition Act to acquire areas needed to set up telecommunication transmission towers to increase coverage in the country.

A paper on this would be presented to the local authorities where the areas for the construction of such towers would be identified for telecommunications companies and Internet providers, he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

6,000 more towers

According to a Bernama report, the country has 9,000 telecommunication towers and needed an additional 6,000 towers for the whole country, including rural areas, he said.

"We have identified all the 6,000 sites needed for the whole country to get better coverage," said Dr Lim, adding that the list would be sent to the state governments as well.

When asked about the cost to build these towers, he said there were enough companies willing to invest in building them.