Penangites Can Get Free High-Speed Internet for 6 Months Starting 1st March, Here’s Why

In a report by SoyaCincau, YTL Communications has begun its trial launch of Terragraph, a wireless distribution network developed by Facebook, in George Town, Penang.

Terragraph is a new network which can reportedly deliver high-speed internet services in urban areas without having to lay fibre. This technology is so new that Malaysia is now only the second country in the world to begin trials after Hungary.

The trial is expected to begin on 1st March and will go on for the next six months, during which time Penangites in the area can access it via Free Wi-Fi. There will also be free Fixed Wireless Access for trial users in coverage areas.

Terragraph is a multi-node wireless technology running on the 60GHz spectrum. It utilises street lamps, traffic lights, and utility poles to deliver high-speed broadband without the hassle and cost of installing fibre cables. An excerpt from Facebook Code explaining the effectiveness of this technology reads, 

“Given the architecture of the network, Terragraph is able to route and steer around interference typically found in dense urban environments, such as tall buildings or internet congestion due to high user traffic.”

Source: facebook code

This is part of the government’s National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) that was outlined in Budget 2019. According to Malaysiakini, the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) stated that this plan would ensure Malaysians can access high-quality infrastructure and various services at reasonable prices.

YTL Communications also conducted a Terragraph speed test during an event announcing the upcoming trial launch, showing 1.3Gbps downloads and 1.7Gbps uploads, with a latency of 13ms (milliseconds).

Source: inc

If you want to find out more details about this brand new technology, you can read Facebook Code’s post about it here or visit Terragraph’s official website here. 

Hopefully, this trial proves successful and expands to other states in the future. Here’s to faster and more accessible internet!

Also read: Penang Will Stop Offering Free Wifi from Feb 13 Because It’s Too Slow