Incorporate telecommunications infrastructure into roads and power projects

KUCHING: Telecommunications infrastructure should be planned alongside roads and power projects under Budget 2027 to improve connectivity and support Sarawak’s next phase of economic growth, says Demanlink Connexion Sdn Bhd’s Chief Executive Officer, Hanad Yusuf.

He said the record RM16.2-billion federal allocations for Sarawak would have a greater impact in attracting high-value investments in advanced manufacturing and renewable energy if reliable telecommunications connectivity were treated as essential infrastructure.

Yusuf welcomed the RM3.3 billion allocated for road projects in Sarawak and Sabah but stressed that telecommunications facilities should be incorporated into road construction plans from the outset.

“Connectivity has to be planned and funded as core infrastructure alongside roads and power,” he said in a statement.

He said stronger connectivity between commercial centres such as Miri and Limbang would support northern Sarawak’s oil and gas, logging, timber and oil palm industries.

With the Pan Borneo Highway handling increasing freight and traffic, he said mobile coverage along the corridor must keep pace to enable logistics operators and businesses to coordinate reliably across long rural stretches.

Yusuf said reserving sites for telecommunications towers and installing fibre ducts during road construction would be more cost-effective than adding the infrastructure later.

Shared infrastructure would also enable multiple telecommunications operators to serve users from the same sites, reducing duplicated investments, he added.

He said independent telecommunications tower companies could play a role in delivering shared infrastructure for public and private stakeholders.

As baseline coverage improves, Yusuf said the focus should shift towards network quality, capacity and future-ready infrastructure to serve growing industries and rural communities over the long term.

He said Demanlink was ready to work with the Federal and Sarawak Governments to integrate telecommunications infrastructure into the state’s development plans.

Under Budget 2027, Sarawak’s federal allocation increased from RM15.1 billion this year to RM16.2 billion, while the RM3.3 billion combined allocations for road projects in Sarawak and Sabah would support further infrastructure development.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said when tabling the budget on Friday (Oct. 9) that the Letter of Acceptance had been issued for the Miri section of the Trans Borneo Highway, while those for the Limbang and Lawas sections were expected by the end of the year.