Malaysia may open broadband services

Malaysia may open broadband services

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia might open its broadband services industry to foreign companies if domestic operators continue to lag behind in wiring up more homes, a newspaper said Saturday.

Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik said the government was unhappy that only 1 percent of Malaysian households have broadband services, The Star daily reported.

"We are considering several measures to increase the broadband penetration rate and they include opening up the industry to foreign players," Lim was quoted as saying. "People in other countries have gone far ahead of us ... what's wrong with us?"

He said the low number of broadband users had hindered development programs, but gave no details, the report said. The government has targeted a 5 percent to 6 percent increase in the number of broadband users in this country of 25 million people by 2008. -- AP