theSun | WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21 2009
Penang closer to
becoming WiMAX state
by Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PENANG took its first step towards becoming
a wireless state with the test drive of the Wire-
less@Penang WiMAX (Worldwide Interoper-
ability for Microwave Access) at Gurney Hotel
on Monday.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the
state government was very pleased with the
progress of the WiMAX@Penang project.
“This is the start of the first batch of seven
locations for WiMAX coverage in Penang,
while another batch of seven locations will be
rolled out in the next six months, with a total
of 28 locations to come alive within the 18
months,” he said.
“This will cover at least about 70% of
Penang island and Seberang Perai,” he said,
expressing the hope that the test drive would
help educate people about the benefits that the
wide availability of WiMAX broadband will
bring to them and to the state as a whole.
“In the constant strive to elevate Penang’s
status as an international hub for business and
tourism, having quality broadband infrastruc-
ture, equal access to information via the Inter-
net and giving people the ability to participate
in the emerging Malaysian cyberspace, is the
key to be the number one in info-highways in
the region.”
Lim said the Internet has become a basic
utility in life,
like water and
electricity, and
hoped that the avail-
ability of WiMAX would help bridge the digital
divide in the state.
“Penang state government wants to play an
active role to achieve the national target of 50%
household broadband penetration by 2010,”
he said. Based on statistics, the broadband
penetration rate in the country was still around
15%.
Over the next two weeks, Penangites will
be able to test-drive the WiMAX and free WiFi
services at various pilot sites.
While the WiFi service is provided free at
13
Lim checks
out the
connectivity of
the WiMAC at
the Wireless@
Penang WiMAX
test drive. He is
flanked by Ooi
(on his right)
and Lai.
public areas, the higher-speed WiMAX will
come at an affordable price.
WiMAX operator Packet One Networks
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd will set up booths in Pen-
ang and Seberang Prai from today to Friday,
to allow its pre-registered customers and the
public to have a first-hand experience in its
high-speed wireless broadband.
Present at the test drive were state exco
members Wong Hon Wai and Abdul Malik
Kassim, Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn
Bhd chief executive officer Michael Lai, and
the chief minister’s head of staff Jeff Ooi.