Can Sabah Live Without broadband Infrastructure?

The answer is NO!

No one will live without the broadband which is a prerequisite of internet services. The unfortunate incident on Monday, 27-July-2009, of telecommunication breakdown in Sandakan, and the entire east coast of Sabah, was a wake-up call for all including the government. The incident told us that we must have a well-designed and built telekom network in order to bring us to the next level of our economy. In other words, the importance of maintaining top notch ICT infrastructure should be in the future strategy, and Sabah government should categorise it under the Key Result Area (KRA) of its Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) plan.

The breakdown of the entire Telekom's communication connections had caused inconveniences as well as enormous losses to the business communities in Sandakan, Lahad Datu, and Tawau. Compared to ten years ago, the recent event has highlighted the criticality of our economy and livelihood which are no longer irrelevant to the normal functionality of the entire system. The success of the communication system depends on technology, its strategic design, and its maintenance. In the recent event, TMB could have avoided the akwardness by including the critical aspect in the original design, thus avoiding the heavy losses due to fire damages.

In the quest of harnessing the ICT value into our economy, the government must place highest priority on telecommunication infrastructure first, the backbone of the ICT. The telecommunication infrastructure is of the same importance as the other infrastructures such as highways, roads, ports, waterways etc. in the national economy.

Ten years ago, no body affected by the communication services such as broadband; but the situation is not the same anymore that no body can tolerate even slightest of delay. Every ones cry foul if it (breakdown) occurs. Younger people are mostly affected in the home sector by the internet breakdown. They are actually the ones who are most concerned with its condition. I just don't want to see the same tragedy happening in Kota Kinabalu. The Authority must plan ahead and proactively anticipate this unforeseen event with sufficient backup mechanism, now! People First, Performance Now!