MySRBN XL Connects Over 8,000 Rural Sarawak Homes To Fibre Broadband

KUCHING, April 18 (Bernama) -- More than 8,000 homes in Sarawak have been connected to fibre broadband under the Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (MySRBN) XL initiative, which aims to expand affordable high-speed internet access, particularly in rural and suburban areas.

Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) chief executive officer Datuk Sudarnoto Osman said the service is part of the state’s broader efforts to bridge the digital divide, while also complementing the connectivity provided by telecommunications operators.

“MySRBN XL is still using a prepaid model, the first fixed home broadband prepaid model in Malaysia. The idea is to ensure affordability, especially for rural folks in Sarawak,” he told reporters at the SDEC Media Appreciation Night here last night.

Introduced in October last year, MySRBN XL offers high-speed internet of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) through a flexible prepaid plan that does not require long-term contracts.

Sudarnoto said the introduction of fibre broadband under the initiative allows users to enjoy significantly faster internet speeds compared to the wireless connectivity previously available in some areas.

“With wireless, the speed is about 30 Mbps, but using fibre we can go as high as 100 Mbps. We are also looking at introducing speeds of up to 300 Mbps, depending on demand from the areas that we are serving,” he said.

He said the initiative primarily targets suburban and rural communities, enabling more residents to access digital services and participate in the digital economy.

Meanwhile, Sudarnoto announced that the eighth International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak 2026 (IDECS 2026) will take place on Oct 5 and 6 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.

Under the theme "Scaling Innovation Ecosystems for a Borderless Economy: Earth, Orbit and Beyond," the conference is expected to draw over 20,000 participants from more than 30 countries, with over 100 speakers and exhibitions.

"This will be the eighth edition of IDECS... We'll be covering agentic AI, and some of the new tracks we're introducing are related to space and semiconductors," he said.

-- BERNAMA