KUCHING: Sarawak is seeking to reach a common ground with the federal government on spectrum jurisdiction as the state prepares for a future increasingly driven by signal-based telecommunications.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the challenge ahead was to find a meeting point between the federal government’s jurisdiction over spectrum and the state’s authority over the airspace above its land.
He said spectrum would become increasingly important as future communications relied more on wireless signals rather than traditional fixed infrastructure such as fibre optics.
“You need a spectrum because signals travel through space and in the future it will rely more on signals than fibre optics.
“Because in the future, it no longer depends solely on fixed assets like fibre optic or fixed assets. It has to rely on signals. And the signal has to go through space,” he said.
He said this in his speech during the SACOFA Sdn Bhd (SACOFA) 25th anniversary gala dinner at the Sheraton Hotel here on Wednesday (Aug 5).
Abang Johari said Sarawak had passed and amended its state laws relating to the matter, while discussions with the Federal Government would be needed to address spectrum jurisdiction.
“That’s where I asked our lawyers to look into it, and for us to have a conversation with the federal government where we can check on the question of spectrum,” he said.
He noted that while limits on spectrum are set under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Malaysia is a signatory to the international body, signals would still need to pass through the state’s airspace.
“As I told our agencies, if you can control the minerals and resources underground, you must also be able to control the space above the ground.
“By logic, if you cannot be controlled underground, you cannot control the space above the ground,” he said.
Looking beyond SACOFA’s first 25 years, Abang Johari said the telecommunications landscape would continue to evolve rapidly, making it essential for Sarawak to keep pace with emerging technologies.
“Having said that, we have to look to the future. What is important now is what we want to achieve in the next 25 years and what will happen in the broader telecommunications ecosystem.
“We have been talking about 5G and new technologies, but at the end of the day, we must keep abreast of the latest advancements.
“The first 25 years have passed; today, we must look at the next 25 years. That is why the theme ‘Beyond 25’ is key,” he said.
He also revealed that Sarawak is studying the establishment of its own sovereign data storage to safeguard strategic information.
“And towards that, I am now calculating. Of course, there’s a risk there. For us to have our data storage under our own sovereign data storage.
“This important strategic data, including what we have beneath our underground resources as well as any other data, must be kept and known by the Sarawak State. This is part and parcel of what we are going to do,” he said.
