NG999: No More Issues After Discussions With TM, Ministries – Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Technical disruptions involving the implementation of the new Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999) platform have been fully resolved following a meeting between the Communications Ministry, the Health Ministry (MOH) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) recently, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the meeting, held together with the Health Minister at TM headquarters, had resolved several matters related to the system’s implementation.

“Several issues have been addressed, and to date there are no more problems with the system. Most of the matters raised involved personnel issues which have since been reorganised by TM and the Health Ministry.

“That too has been managed well, so Alhamdulillah, there are no longer any outstanding issues,” he said during his ministry’s winding-up session in the Upper House.

Responding to an interjection by Senator Dr A. Ligeshwaran on possible action against TM over problems experienced during the first five days of implementation, Fahmi said the matter would be subject to review by a joint committee established to assess any potential breaches.

“If there are penalties that can be imposed, I leave it to the team conducting the review. If the findings confirm any breach, we will follow what is stipulated in the signed contract,” he said.

He clarified that NG999 implementation falls under the responsibility of TM as the telecommunications infrastructure provider, which receives the initial emergency calls before channelling them to recipient agencies including MOH, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), the Civil Defence Force (APM) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

Fahmi also said the NG999 system was developed to replace the Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS999) with a total allocation of RM1.25 billion, covering development and operations over 12 years.

He further informed that the implementation process adhered to all procedures and agreements, including the User Acceptance Test (UAT) which had been verified by the Health Ministry.

“When the system went live, all processes and procedures were followed. This means the Health Ministry had also agreed to sign the UAT. These are among the preliminary findings from the review by the Communications Ministry and MOH,” he said.

On the rising safety risks to children due to exposure to harmful content and online games, Fahmi said the government is studying the proposal to set a minimum age of 16 for social media users under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866), which will be detailed through subsidiary instruments and the Child Protection Code.

He said that between January 2022 and Nov 30 this year, a total of 1,569 takedown requests involving obscene content related to children were submitted to social media platforms, with 95 per cent of them removed.

Fahmi also reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) received 52,315 takedown requests involving cyberbullying content, of which 76 per cent were removed between Jan 1, 2022 and Nov 30 this year.

In tackling online gambling, he said 458,697 takedown requests for gambling-related content were submitted, with 96 per cent removed within the same period while a total of 6,247 online gambling sites were also blocked.

Responding to suggestions that the government develop high-impact local digital games, Fahmi said the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) continue to support creative content development.

Through the Digital Content and Creative Technology Fund (DKK), 58 digital game projects have been supported by local companies, while 38 creative intellectual properties were produced between 2022 and 2024, he said.

Regarding cable maintenance in rural areas raised by several senators, he said the responsibility lies with service providers or companies involved in infrastructure installation and maintenance, including fibre-optic cables.

-- BERNAMA