Korea’s SK Telecom opens community broadband centre in Sabah
By Digital News Asia September 19, 2013
- Centre will give local residents Internet connectivity; allow them to access e-govt services
- Effort will help boost broadband penetration rate in Sabah, which currently stands at 55%
KOREAN telecommunications giant SK Telecom has established a Community Broadband Centre (SK CBC) in Kuala Tomani, Sabah.
This would be a step towards bridging the digital divide between urban and rural folk, and would help uplift the standard of living amongst local residents, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said that the initiative by SK Telecom would give local residents Internet connectivity and thus enable them to access online government services.
The effort would also contribute towards boosting the broadband penetration rate in Sabah, which stands at 55% as at August 2013.
ICT and broadband services bring many benefits, and can also contribute to the economic development of society, Ahmad Shabery said.
He also expressed his hope that more success stories involving individuals who benefitted from broadband and ICT services, such as seaweed farmer Kabilah Hassan, could be further highlighted.
Kabilah, who hails from Kunak, Sabah, is an online seaweed entrepreneur who successfully multiplied her income as a result of using broadband services under the Government’s 1Malaysia Internet Centre (PI1M) programme, which is operated by the MCMC.
SK Telecom’s centre is modelled after the PI1M, the MCMC said, and will allow residents in Kuala Tomani, especially youth and students, to make use of education-based and entrepreneurship software.
SK Telecom decided to set up the Community Broadband Centre in Kuala Tomani after it was impressed with the series of programmes conducted in 1Malaysia Internet Centres nationwide, claimed MCMC chairman Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi.
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