The communications and multimedia minister’s remarks follow a media report of the death of a student after the motorcycle she was riding with her boyfriend was run over while they were searching for Internet coverage at Jalan Julau-Nanga Entabai, Sarikei.

In a post on Facebook, Saifuddin expressed his sympathy and condolences to the teenager’s family and said the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) is constructing a telecommunications tower in the area.

He said there are 12 communication towers in the Julau district, and under the National Digital Network (Jendala), construction on 22 new towers is expected to begin by the end of this year.

They are expected to be fully completed by the end of 2022.

“Apart from the construction of communication towers, work to upgrade the network to 4G is being carried out at 19 transmitter stations around the Julau district until the end of this year,” he said.

“The Broadband via Satellite (Wifi VSAT) project will also be implemented in 18 locations around the Julau district. The project is expected to start in September and will be fully completed this December.

“It is hoped that these initiatives will help the people in Julau to carry out daily activities more smoothly, as well as improve their living standards in the digital era.”