Malaysia and Singapore telco operators to lower charges
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians and Singaporeans will enjoy lower mobile roaming charges in two months, says Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.
He said telecommunications operators in both countries had agreed to lower their charges by up to 30% for calls and 50% for text messages.
“In two months’ time, we should be able to solve the matter because the industry (players) have already agreed to this policy,” he told reporters at the 10th Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin) yesterday.
Dr Rais said the deal, which was agreed to with his Singaporean counterpart in June last year, would cover text messages, voice calls and mobile data transfer.
Singapore Information, Com-munications and the Arts Minister Lui Tuck Yew said operators on both sides of the Causeway had agreed to lower roaming charges.
On another issue, Dr Rais announced that the Telmin’s dialogue partners China, South Korea and Japan would contribute about US$3mil (RM9.17mil) for various ICT projects in Asean over the year.
“This meeting will also involve future policies on Asean ICT.
“China, South Korea and Japan will also take part in the various ICT projects that we will implement together,” he said.
Earlier, in his opening speech at Telmin, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Asean countries had to make their broadband networks more readily available and cheaper across the region by 2015.
This is to draw investments and trade, as well as to raise the quality of life.
“It is imperative for Asean to be in the mainstream of global ICT development, to focus resources on improving connectivity in the region of 600 million people,” he said.
Najib said that Asean must not forget the importance of its eastern cultural values to combat Internet indecency and the irresponsible use in a borderless online world.
“We should never, in the name of development, compromise on our values,” he said.
The annual Telmin will, for the first time this year release the Asean ICT Masterplan (AICTM) that aims to coordinate ICT and telecommunications develop-ment among member states as a whole.
It will be launched by Rais today at the end of Telmin.
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