George Town – first city in Asia to enjoy Terragraph

VISITORS to the heritage sites in George Town can enjoy free high-speed broadband connection for six months starting March 1

The collaboration between the Federal Government, YTL Communications and Facebook, allowed the people to enjoy Terragraph until August.

The George Town heritage sites have been chosen to undergo the trial run. It is believed that George Town is the first city in Asia to enjoy Terragraph.

According to its website, Terragraph is a 60GHz multi-hop multi-point wireless distribution network. It delivers gigabit speeds to dense underserved urban areas at a fraction of the cost of fibre.

Terragraph is set to provide free public WiFi and fixed wireless access (FWA) in George Town heritage areas for six months.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the ministry is committed to ensure the success of the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) to provide high-speed and high-quality broadband services to Malaysians.

“I envision a Malaysia where internet connectivity is available to anyone, anywhere and anytime.

“Internet connectivity has become a necessity, like electricity and water. It is no longer a privilege but a basic and fundamental need that must be made available to all.

“When we came into power in May last year, my ministry’s goal was to double the speed and halve the price of broadband in Malaysia.

“To date, my ministry has reduced the prices of entry-level fixed broadband packages by at least 34%.

“For the first time in Malaysia, 100Mbps packages are available for less than RM100 and entry-level 30Mbps packages are priced at RM79 per month.

“However, out of eight million households, only 18% have access to high-speed (fibre) broadband while the mobile broadband space has a very high penetration rate.

“We need more high-speed fixed broadband infrastructure to support the growth of our digital economy,” Gobind said his in speech at the launching ceremony of Terragraph in Church Street Ghaut today.

Terragraph enables service providers to deploy low-cost high-speed connectivity in dense urban and suburban areas by utilizing existing street furniture such as lamp posts, buildings, signages and traffic lights which are equipped with antennas.

YTL Communications chief executive officer Wing K. Lee said that a breakthrough in technology is needed to preserve the uniqueness of George Town, while addressing the need for a better broadband connection.

YTL Communications conducted a speed test which showed a download speed of 1.3Gbps and an upload speed of 1.7Gbps during the launching ceremony.

Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Chan Kok Kuan