5G Rahmah package answers Sabah residents' dreams of affordable reliable internet service

KOTA KINABALU - Residents in Sabah have welcomed the newly announced 5G Rahmah package, with the majority of them agreeing that it would greatly impact their daily lives.

The 60GB postpaid mobile package, announced by Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil today, is priced at a reasonable RM60 a month, and bundles either a Samsung A14 5G or Honor 90 Lite 5G at prices as low as RM240.

Civil servants in the state have an added bonus, as they will also benefit from the RM10 monthly rebate, courtesy of the Rahmah Civil Servants Postpaid Incentive, which was also announced by Fahmi today.

Even though both incentives will begin Aug 31, those interviewed by Bernama in Sabah seemed pleased and were eagerly awaiting for what they viewed as the ‘last piece’ that when combined with the existing government initiative of the National Digital Network Plan (Jendela), completed the ‘puzzle’ of affordable quality Internet service in the state.

Civil servant Asmah Asmuni, 40, said she, like many others in the B40 group, required good Internet access to conduct work online, but had to bear expensive fees for high-speed Internet service.

"With such a package, we can reduce our expenses and still access the Internet well. As civil servants we have to do a lot of things online, even attend mandatory courses and submit various forms,” she told Bernama.

Federal civil service employee Hamadi Mangka, 52, said that the combination of good access and affordable prices would make the incentive even more effective in ensuring Internet access, which has become a necessity, could be enjoyed by all Malaysians throughout the country.

"It will also benefit our children in obtaining information for education, the affordable price when combined with high speed Internet access is something that will help us greatly,” he said, adding that difficulty with Internet access in island areas like Semporna and Sebatik in Tawau made it hard for him to conduct his duties there.

E-hailing driver Junaidi Alajid, 41, meanwhile expressed his hope that the 5G Rahmah package would help pave the way for the introduction of high speed 5G Internet service throughout Sabah, which he said would boost their quality of life.

"The government announcement is good for people like me because I depend on e-hailing as my livelihood. We use the Internet for our apps and to figure out our driving routes, but when Internet coverage is bad, our work is disrupted and the high prices eat into our incomes,” he said.

Food delivery rider, Aidil Aziz, 22, said that cheaper Internet packages would reduce work-related costs, especially with apps, as it required high speed Internet access that previously was only available at a high price.

"The Internet subscription with the device bundle will help us in Sabah who do e-hailing and deliveries as devices can be very expensive, especially with our low incomes. Internet access is necessary, there are times when I’m delivering food and suddenly there’s no Internet... I can’t even find out where the customers are,” he added. - BERNAMA