PUTRAJAYA, February 17 – Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today chaired the meeting of the Fourth National Digital Economy and Industrial Revolution Council (MED4IRN) held for the first time for 2022 which was also attended by Ministers as well as Heads of Departments and Agencies involved online.
The meeting decided to:
1. Develop a National Robotics Roadmap (NRR) in mainstreaming the use of robotics technology. The plan is able to increase productivity and reduce dependence on foreign labor thereby minimizing the outflow of currency abroad. The density of robots in Malaysia per 10,000 employees in 2019 is 55 units and the target is 195 units per 10,000 employees by 2030.
2. Support the concept of Catalytic Projects to drive the MyDIGITAL Aspirations. The meeting agreed to establish a MyDIGITAL Catalyst Project Task Force to select appropriate projects and monitor implementation which is a public-private partnership. The Catalyst Project will be funded by the private sector and the Government will play a facilitating role. Examples of catalyst projects are:
i. Smart medicine is targeting the establishment of hospitals that use 5G technology to improve the standard of healthcare for the people.
ii. Bandar Pintar targets a variety of useful use cases to ensure the sustainability of a more meaningful life.
The meeting also took note of the progress and achievements of the following initiatives: –
i. Through the National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA), a total of 1.89 million new premises covered with fiber optic access and a total of 1,189 new 4G towers were built from September 2020 to December 2021. Under Phase 1, a total of 6.85 million premises covered with fiber optic access and 4G coverage in populated areas recorded 95% as of 31 December 2021.
ii. Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has also started access to the 5G wholesale network where a total of 500 5G sites have been activated as of 31 December 2021 in WP Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and WP Kuala Lumpur. DNB is also targeting 3,500 sites (equivalent to 36% coverage in populated areas) by the end of 2022.
iii. Through the Small Entrepreneur Digitization Empowerment (PUPUK) program, a total of 883 Malaysian Family Digital Economy Centers (PEDi) are operational while another 28 will be operational by 31 March 2022 throughout Malaysia. This initiative provides collective internet access as well as entrepreneurship programs to the local community.
February 19, 2022 is the first anniversary of the launch of the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint (RTEDM) as well as the introduction of MyDIGITAL as a Government initiative to transform Malaysia into a high -income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy.
Several programs have been and will be implemented throughout February and March, such as the Technopreneur Industry Dialogue, a series of dialogues organized by the World Bank and MyDIGITAL Corporation, Program Digital Transformation of Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Baru, Kelantan, Roundtable Discussion Session on Islamic Digital Technology, and Digital Literacy Program for Civil Servants.
The success of MyDIGITAL will be the determinant of the success of the digitization of the Malaysian Family as expected by 2030.
