KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The overall broadband penetration for every 100 households in Malaysia stood at 67.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year; an amount that reflects various initiatives taken by the government to tackle the digital divide between the rural and urban communities.

United Nations’ Children Fund (UNICEF) Malaysia said however in certain states and in Kuala Lumpur, the broadband penetration reached 115.7 per cent while Kelantan stood only at 41.2 per cent.

“With an 8.4 fixed (wired) broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants as well, it has placed Malaysia above many other Asean countries,” said UNICEF in its desk review titled “Exploring The Digital Landscape in Malaysia”, here.

According to the review, there were more than 31,121 hotspot locations that have been established in the country, enabling easy public access to the internet from personal devices including their mobiles and tablets.

UNICEF said, due to the higher broadband penetration, Malaysia had over the years experienced a growth on cellular telephone.

While fixed-line telephone subscriptions and the number of public payphones have decreased.

“According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) data, the cellular penetration rate per 100 inhabitants was 143.7 per cent for the first quarter of 2014.

“Prepaid subscriptions far outweigh post-paid subscriptions by approximately 35.2 million against 7.8 milion, whereas the main telecommunications service providers are Telekom Malaysia, Celcom, Maxis, Digi and UMobile,” it said.

UNICEF said Malaysia had achieved all that outcome (broadband and cellular penetration) with the help of key strategies and initiatives developed by the government to reduce the existence of digital divides in the country.

“Some of the strategies and initiatives are to provide expansion of cellular coverage, as well as WiFi in strategic locations in target areas through 1Malaysia Wireless Village,” it said.

The 62-page desk review obtained their information from goverment agencies such MCMC and companies to provide an understanding of internet access and use by the Malaysian public.

It is also a useful reference to prior studies that have been done on the state of children’s online experience in Malaysia as well as to provide valuable insights into new research areas to be considered by all parties interested in advancing the digital citizenship project. — Bernama