.jpg "Zairil Khir Johari speaks to reporters during a press conference in George Town on May 9, 2019. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin")
GEORGE TOWN, May 9 ― The Penang government will call for a second request for proposals (RFP) in June to provide free wifi service in the state.
State public works, utilities and flood mitigation committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the government received only five bids after the first RFP closed last month.
He said the five bidders did not meet the stringent RFP specifications.
“The RFP will be less stringent next round as our requirements were too high in the first RFP,” he said.
He said the state will also seek proposals from major telecommunication companies in the second round; most of the firms told him they didn’t have sufficient time to prepare and missed the first exercise.
He said YTL Communications, the company that brought in wireless fibre network Terragraph, is welcomed to submit a proposal for the Penang free wifi service.
The Penang free wifi service, first introduced in 2009, covered public spaces such as Komtar, shopping malls, commercial areas and tourist spots.
The service was terminated in February this year as Zairil said it was not performing according to the state’s expectations and standards.
“The state was paying RM120,000 each month but the usage was not good and the quality was bad,” he said.
He said the state is still intent on providing free wifi service throughout the state but it must be of good quality and at a lower cost for the state.
“In the new RFP, we are hoping to get proposals where we don’t have to pay anything or pay very little for the service,” he said.
He said the state will also look at the locations to install the wifi service such as in public areas, tourist spots and government offices.
