More homes to get broadband

PUTRAJAYA: The national high-speed broadband implementation plan is targeting 50% of Malaysian households to have broadband Internet access by 2010.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said currently, only 12% of the 5.5 million households that had online access were broadband users.

"We are pushing ahead with this plan as we believe it can be a catalyst to boost the national economy further," he said, adding that businesses would be run differently in future with the development of broadband.

"We also need to study the demand and look at content development to ensure it is met with the right supply," he said, adding that competitiveness in business and in the public delivery system was also expected to be greater.

He was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the National Broadband Implementation Plan here yesterday.

The plan is also expected to help increase by 0.5% to 4% the gross domestic product of the country, which stood at RM548.4bil last year.

He said the country was set to be among those with well-developed broadband access, adding that in the current international ranking, Malaysia was rather low.

Najib added that detailed studies had to be conducted as the development of broadband involved big investments.

This could be done with public and private sector partnership, he said, adding that the Government would be discussing the plan with Telekom Malaysia and other telcos before finalising it.

Najib said the Government would have to limit high-speed broadband penetration to 50%, as the cost of having it nationwide would be around RM56bil.

On speculation in the financial market that Malaysia would liberalise the ringgit further, Najib dismissed it as "market talk".

"So far, I have not been alerted of any policy change," he said.

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