Going wireless in JB
Imagine being able to check your email in the middle of a park, or doing your banking online while you are riding in a bus.
All this will come true in as Johor Baru gears up to become a “wireless” city.
“Just imagine, you can surf in an outdoor park, or in the middle of nowhere,” MSC Cyberport Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Ganesh Ku-mar Bangah told The Star recently.
He expects the whole Southern Johor Economic Region (SJER), spanning 2,217sq km, to go wireless in three years time.
The SJER stretches from the Causeway and northwards to the Senai airport and from the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in the west coast to Johor Port in Pasir Gudang in the east.
“The technology is already here, but at the moment the business model is not so viable,” said Ganesh.
According to him, two programmes would be rolled out under the wireless city plan.
The first adopts the popular Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity interface, which uses radio-frequency technology that allows laptop or computer users in the vicinity of a ‘hotspot’ to access the Web or corporate networks.
“We will be able to cover the whole of JB city with Wi-Fi in three years. But at the same time we would also be rolling out WiMAX,” said Ganesh.
WiMAX, or Worldwide Inter-operability for Microwave Access, is a more powerful version of Wi-Fi that can provide wireless Internet access with a range of up to 50km.
“With WiMAX, you can have a higher bandwidth and longer range (of connectivity),” he said.
Ganesh said the MSC Cybercity in Kulai is scheduled to have WiMAX coverage in three years, and within five years, the technology will encompass the rest of Johor Baru.
Asked whether it was viable to make Johor Baru a wireless city considering the poor uptake of broadband and dial-up Internet services, Ganesh said this was due to a mismatch in supply and demand.
“Many work in Singapore, so they say they do not need a line here. And those who want to apply for a line may not even have a telephone line.
“Telekom cannot set up a (phone) exchange because some developers did not allocate land for them to do so.
“These developers are not interested in the lifestyle of people after they sell their houses,” he said.
“It is just a matter of time. Our neighbours are so much more advanced. It is an impetus for the technology gap to be narrowed,” he said.
A broadband stakeholder group was set up on Wednesday in the state, chaired by Johor International Trade and Industry, Energy Water and Communication Committee chairman Tan Kok Hong.
Tan said the state wanted to encourage more people to go online, adding there were only about 60,000 broadband accounts registered in the state under TM Net.
“Let’s not talk about making it compulsory for developers to provide this or that. But the government and the private sector are working together to help the people get connected.
“Some developers have made their homes broadband-ready,” he added.
All this will come true in as Johor Baru gears up to become a “wireless” city.
“Just imagine, you can surf in an outdoor park, or in the middle of nowhere,” MSC Cyberport Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Ganesh Ku-mar Bangah told The Star recently.
He expects the whole Southern Johor Economic Region (SJER), spanning 2,217sq km, to go wireless in three years time.
The SJER stretches from the Causeway and northwards to the Senai airport and from the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in the west coast to Johor Port in Pasir Gudang in the east.
“The technology is already here, but at the moment the business model is not so viable,” said Ganesh.
According to him, two programmes would be rolled out under the wireless city plan.
The first adopts the popular Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity interface, which uses radio-frequency technology that allows laptop or computer users in the vicinity of a ‘hotspot’ to access the Web or corporate networks.
“We will be able to cover the whole of JB city with Wi-Fi in three years. But at the same time we would also be rolling out WiMAX,” said Ganesh.
WiMAX, or Worldwide Inter-operability for Microwave Access, is a more powerful version of Wi-Fi that can provide wireless Internet access with a range of up to 50km.
“With WiMAX, you can have a higher bandwidth and longer range (of connectivity),” he said.
Ganesh said the MSC Cybercity in Kulai is scheduled to have WiMAX coverage in three years, and within five years, the technology will encompass the rest of Johor Baru.
Asked whether it was viable to make Johor Baru a wireless city considering the poor uptake of broadband and dial-up Internet services, Ganesh said this was due to a mismatch in supply and demand.
“Many work in Singapore, so they say they do not need a line here. And those who want to apply for a line may not even have a telephone line.
“Telekom cannot set up a (phone) exchange because some developers did not allocate land for them to do so.
“These developers are not interested in the lifestyle of people after they sell their houses,” he said.
“It is just a matter of time. Our neighbours are so much more advanced. It is an impetus for the technology gap to be narrowed,” he said.
A broadband stakeholder group was set up on Wednesday in the state, chaired by Johor International Trade and Industry, Energy Water and Communication Committee chairman Tan Kok Hong.
Tan said the state wanted to encourage more people to go online, adding there were only about 60,000 broadband accounts registered in the state under TM Net.
“Let’s not talk about making it compulsory for developers to provide this or that. But the government and the private sector are working together to help the people get connected.
“Some developers have made their homes broadband-ready,” he added.
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