JENDELA: 19 NEW TOWERS IN CAMERON HIGHLANDS FULLY COMPLETED

CAMERON HIGHLANDS, June 26 (Bernama) -- The National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA) Cluster 34 project, overseen by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and involving 19 communication towers in Cameron Highlands, was fully completed in March.

Firdaus Fadzil, Head of Regulatory Affairs for Edotco Group Sdn Bhd, said that his team, responsible for providing the land and building the communication towers for the cluster, faced various challenges in completing the project.

He said that one of the challenges was land acquisition, which involved extensive discussions and negotiations as it included government-owned land and had to follow established procedures and protocols.

“In acquiring the land, we dealt with several parties, including the Cameron Highlands District Council, the Pahang Utility Corridor, and landowners from various agencies such as the Forestry Department.

“Credit goes to MCMC for not only acting as the regulator for the JENDELA project but also facilitating our interactions and cooperation with various parties to acquire the land fairly within a set timeframe,” he told Bernama.

He said this after the Cluster 34 JENDELA Phase 1 Finalisation Ceremony between Edotco and CelcomDigi here on Monday.

Residents in Cameron Highlands can now enjoy better Internet coverage following the completion of the 19 communication towers under JENDELA in March.

At the event, MCMC was represented by MCMC Pahang director Shahrizal Husin, Edotco Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Edotco Malaysia) by Firdaus, and CelcomDigi Bhd (CelcomDigi) by CelcomDigi’s Universal Service Provision (USP) Programme Manager Mohd Zhariff Md Raus.

Firdaus said that another challenge was in building the towers, as many of the JENDELA Phase One project locations, especially for Cluster 34, were in remote areas.

“There were logistical constraints in transporting construction materials to these areas, along with weather challenges, but fortunately, we managed to complete it within the timeframe set by MCMC,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Zhariff said that so far, the cooperation between CelcomDigi and other telecommunications companies has been good, and all parties have agreed on making decisions together.

“The technology we use is the Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN), as agreed with all telcos. For example, we install equipment that can link with their central systems.

“It’s not just CelcomDigi that has equipment on these towers; Maxis and U Mobile are also here. So, we act as custodians to maintain the towers and coverage, and if there are any issues with these sites, we manage them in cooperation with the other telcos,” he said.

He added that once the towers are fully operational, residents in the area will enjoy the latest 4G network with better coverage.

Pahang has 13 clusters involving 191 new towers under the JENDELA initiative, with Cluster 34, consisting of 19 communication towers in Cameron Highlands, being the cluster with the most communication towers.

-- BERNAMA