LANGKAWI (Oct 4): This tax-free tourism island will soon turn into a “smart city” through the implementation of 5G demonstration projects, said Kedah Information, Communications and Multimedia and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Committee chairman, Mohd Firdaus Ahmad.
He said for this purpose several telecommunications companies had been given their respective divisions to develop suitable 5G systems and technology on the island.
“The companies will develop technology such as smart traffic lights, smart surveillance systems, smart hospitals according to the criteria set.
“The smart city will also have an integrated operation control centre (IOCC). We want to make the island not only a smart city but also a safe city,” he said.
Mohd Firdaus, who is also Kuah state assemblyman, told this to reporters after launching the ‘100 Go Digital’ Townhall Programme organised by the Malaysian Digital Economic Corporation (MDEC) here yesterday.
Also present were MDEC chief executive officer (CEO) Surina Shukri and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) CEO Dr Hezri Adnan.
More than 100 participants attended the programme, an initiative to assist and enable local businesses in key sectors in moving towards digitalisation to improve their business management and customer experience.
On Monday (Sept 30), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said eight companies were committed to making an initial investment of RM116 million for the 5G demonstration project from October 2019 to March 2020.
Commenting on the programme, Mohd Firdaus said that through the town hall sessions, traders in Langkawi could benefit from the use of technology provided by MDEC.
The programme was beneficial because most businesses on the island were still using old technology where payments were still made in cash when such transactions could be carried out within seconds through smart phones, he added.
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