PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recorded a decline in dropped calls for each 4G mobile network ranging from 10 to 74 per cent, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The success in lowering the rate of dropped calls was driven by the efforts of 4G mobile network operators in optimising their networks.
This is also the result of the efforts of Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) to activate the Call Re-establishment (CRE) function for LTE700 coverage in the 5G network from December 21 to December 29 last year, for all 5G sites nationwide.
“A meeting between MCMC, mobile network providers and DNB was held on December 14 to discuss the problem of dropped calls.
“Following the meeting, a workshop was organised to find the best solution to deal with this problem,” Fahmi told a press conference on the Cellular Service Quality Test (Voice Calls) at the ministry today.
Earlier, Fahmi and his deputy Teo Nie Ching were taken on a bus ride from the Parliament Building in Kuala Lumpur to the Communications Ministry in Putrajaya to personally observe and assess the quality of mobile phone calls, whether satisfactory or otherwise.
The test aims to assess the network coverage provided by telecommunications service providers in Malaysia, hence addressing the issue which has been a topic of complaint by several parties of late.
He said the government takes a serious view of the issue, which has often been raised by consumers, and wants it to be dealt with immediately for the people’ benefit.
Commenting further, Fahmi said the audit conducted by MCMC between January 1 and December 13, 2023, indicated a total of 1,837 disconnected calls had been recorded, including cases which occurred outside the coverage area.
Based on today’s test, the analysis report showed no dropped calls were recorded during the 45-minute journey.
“I would like to emphasise here that the test is a Cellular Service Quality Test and not Internet calls,” he said.
The MCMC will continue to monitor this issue throughout the first quarter of 2024 and report back to him from time to time.
Meanwhile, matters related to the 5G coverage nationwide, especially in institutions of higher learning, would also be a priority for the ministry.
Fahmi said the matter had been notified to all telecommunications companies, and Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa would work with the Higher Education Ministry to examine the matter, including the issues of outdoor coverage, in-building coverage or WiFi coverage faced by students.
— Bernama
