MCMC testing internet coverage along ECRL route ahead of Dec 12 launch

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is conducting speed tests along the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to identify areas that require improved internet coverage ahead of the service's launch on Dec 12. Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the tests use the MCMC Nexus system and cover the route from Gombak to Kota Baru, including its 16 stations and areas inside tunnels. "MCMC is not only conducting internet speed tests along the journey from Gombak to Kota Baru but also at the 16 ECRL stations. "Through these tests, we can identify areas that remain 'greenfield', meaning no coverage at all, as well as 'brownfield' locations that have coverage but not yet sufficient, including inside tunnels, so that follow-up action can be taken," she said. She spoke at a press conference at the Kuala Terengganu ECRL Station here, during her working visit to Terengganu from today until tomorrow. Also present were MCMC eastern region office senior director Mohd Fairus Mohamad and Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak. Teo elaborated that Maxis Bhd, which MRL appointed as the 4G mobile network infrastructure provider along the ECRL route, had presented its project implementation plan covering the provision of telecommunications infrastructure and network equipment upgrades. She said the works were scheduled to begin after the site handover process from the construction contractor, China Communications Construction Company, to MRL is finalised Friday (Nov 6). She added that expanding internet coverage would take time, and that MCMC would continue to work with service providers and MRL to address areas still experiencing connectivity problems. Earlier, Teo, together with an MCMC delegation and Darwis, joined an ECRL train test run from the Gombak Integrated Terminal to the Kuala Terengganu ECRL Station, which took about three hours. During the test run, she listened to an MCMC presentation on the results of internet speed tests conducted inside the train. The 378km journey is part of the Phase 1 ECRL alignment, which connects Gombak to Kota Baru over 519km through 16 stations, ahead of the target for commercial operations in December. The service linking the Klang Valley to the East Coast will use 11 Electric Multiple Unit train sets, each with a capacity of up to 425 passengers and a maximum speed of 160km/h. - Bernama