L E M B A GA JURUTERA MALAYSIA
BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA
THE
INGENIEUR
VOL.73
JANUARY-MARCH 2018
KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270)
MAGAZINE OF T HE BOARD O F ENGINEERS MALA Y S I A
For the man-on-the-street,
the National ID could have
“far-reaching” implications
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PATHWAY
DIGITAL ECONOMY
National Digital ID ( STARBIZWEEK)
Not many are aware but the Communications
and Multimedia Ministry revealed quite recently
that it will spearhead the National Digital Identity
initiative (National ID), putting the country on the
same track as its neighbours such as Singapore,
Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia which are also in
the midst of rolling out the initiative.
These Asean countries are among the first in
the region to do so but what exactly is the National
ID initiative?
According to industry definitions, it is a
verifiable platform used to identify and verify an
individual’s identity in the cyber world.
“Imagine your MyKad and the information it
holds; this National ID will be supplemented by
more biometric features such as facial recognition
and fingerprints, making the ID more unique to
one individual, and hence more secure,” says an
industry person.
The National ID, according to a Government
website, “is for the use of Government and private
service sectors mainly to meet the need to verify
the identity of individuals who access electronic
services, perform transactions and use digital
signatures provided by them.”
For the man-on-the-street, the National ID
could have “far-reaching” implications and will
be able to “supplement” the current functions
that the current MyKad is able to offer, says one
industry observer.
“With so many more biometric features, it will
be able to hold much more information,” he adds.
According to the Government website, some
90% of Malaysian Government services are
already online, while e-commerce user penetration
is at 61.6%, suggesting that such a National ID
could be timely.
Single Netco to drive 5G rollout (STAR)
The Government is considering setting up a single
national network infrastructure company (netco)
to own and run the nation’s 5G network, which will
have multiple shareholders, sources say.
The rationale for having a 5G netco is seen as
a cost-effective way of having 5G services across
the nation, as there will be sharing of cost to roll
out the infrastructure.
The cost of rolling out 5G networks is said to
be more than double that of earlier generation
mobile networks.
It is understood that the Government is looking
at several models employed by countries such as
Japan, Korea, Singapore and Australia.
“All major telco operators can be shareholders
of the company. This infrastructure company will
then use the shared resources to build one 5G
network, which the shareholders will own and
use,’’ says an industry executive.
Access to the network would then be open to
all players at a “wholesale” level on equal terms.
Competition in the industry would then be left to
take place at the retail level.
The Government’s interest in 5G lies in the
expected economic spinoffs.
Reports say there has been “significant
improvement in technology that will accommodate
the exponential growth in devices and mobile data
through improved spectrum efficiency and higher
performance”.
Experts say that the netco model could help
achieve national goals and the country’s ambition
to achieve a 98% broadband penetration rate in
2023.
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