With the launch of the MEASAT-3d satellite, Malaysia is now closer to achieving complete connectivity by 2025, as envisioned in the government’s Jendela project.
Newest Measat Global Bhd’s RM1.2 billion satellite, carried by the Ariane 5 rocket, launched from Kourou Space Centre here at 6.50pm (5.50am Malaysian time Thursday), approximately 20 minutes later than expected because of additional safety checks.
Through Measat’s CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service, Malaysians will also be able to access high-speed internet, whether they live in urban, suburban, or remote villages that are difficult to access.
In areas of Malaysia with little or no terrestrial connectivity, the Airbus-built satellite will dramatically increase internet speeds from the present 30 megabits per second (Mbps) to up to 100 Mbps while continuing to provide redundancy and extra capacity for video distribution in HD and 4K.
Measat’s CONNECTme NOW, Chief Operating Officer, Yau Chyong Lim, said this satellite will link 10,000 sites in the following three years to serve more than two million Malaysians who live in distant areas with little access to high-speed broadband internet. More than 3,000 CONNECTme NOW locations have already been launched nationwide by Measat, the majority of which are in the outlying regions of Sabah and Sarawak.
The multi-mission satellite, according to him, is the Measat most extensive and sophisticated spacecraft to date.
Additionally, it will restore the region’s television and telecommunications services, as well as Astro’s Direct-to-Home service, with unparalleled in-orbit redundancy and growth capability.
Travel well, MEASAT-3d. Make us proud.
