THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) noted that adherence to the Movement Control Order (MCO) throughout Phase 1, which started March 18 and ended March 31, saw sharply higher internet traffic nationwide which increased by nearly a third or 32.1%.
“The demand for bandwidth has surged due to Malaysians currently staying at home following implementation of the MCO. Increased use of video conferencing, learning and shopping over the internet is making the higher demand for bandwidth inevitable,” said MCMC in a statement released today (April 9).
It also noted that greater data consumption could create congestion, causing speeds to fall. This has affected user experience whereby longer loading times are observed, particularly while consuming bandwidth-intensive content such as streaming services on High Definition (HD).
“According to the report ‘Mobile Experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: 4G Download Speed’ released by Opensignal, Malaysia’s 4G download speeds dropped from 13.4Mbps on average in early February to an average of 8.8Mbps during the week from March 23 to 29,” said MCMC, noting that similar trends are being observed globally, with operators worldwide experiencing “an unprecedented increase in bandwidth usage due to this behavioural shift.”
MCMC shared that local telecommunications and internet service providers are currently working around the clock to add bandwidth capacity to ensure the continued delivery of essential services during the MCO.
The telecommunications industry is also working on improving network performance during this time through an additional investment of RM400 mil for infrastructure and network upgrades, as announced in the Prihatin stimulus package on March 28.
The RM400 mil would go towards performing network optimisation and radio capacity upgrades at areas with high utilisation, adjusting traffic to cater to the rising bandwidth demand at residential premises, and upgrading wireless backhaul to fibre optic connections.
Domestic trunk capacities will also be increased, including the laying of new fibre optic infrastructure, increasing interconnect bandwidth and releasing reserved capacities, while increasing international link capacities. Portable base stations will be mobilised as well, while Wi-Fi access points will also be provided to manage network traffic at critical areas.
“During this period, MCMC and the service providers are working together to monitor network performance and to facilitate any challenges on the ground faced by service providers in performing their job to deploy additional infrastructure and maintain the sites, including getting approvals from the authorities,” said MCMC.
The commission is also optimistic that a more resilient digital connectivity awaits Malaysians upon the implementation of all of the initiatives planned by the government with the support of the various stakeholders, particularly the industry players. – April 9, 2020
