IPOH (March 6): After Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, Perak is next in line to get 5G technology as pilot tests are set to begin latest by July this year.

State Communications, Multimedia, NGOs and Cooperatives Development committee chairman Hasnul Zulkarnain Abdul Munaim said Bandar Meru Raya will be the first location in the State for the test.

He said his committee was still in discussions with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and several telecommunication companies over the construction of telecommunications towers around the city.

"Of course, there will be more telecommunication towers that will be built in smaller sizes as the close proximity of these towers is to avoid any signal disturbance.

"This is because, for the 4G service, telecommunication towers are built between one and two kilometres (apart from each other) but for 5G, the distance is between 300 and 500 metres only," he told reporters after the launch of an online system for NGOs in Perak to apply for Government funding as well as a Pubic ICT Course at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here, today.

Last Monday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said Cyberjaya and Putrajaya would be the first smart cities in Malaysia to receive 5G technology when pilot tests begin this April.

The term 5G, which stands for fifth-generation mobile network technology, is up to 100 times faster than 4G, which was introduced in 2009.

Hasnul Zulkarnain added that the community should rest assured that the radiation level of the 5G telecommunications towers would be low and safe.

"The community should be aware that the construction of these telecommunication towers is important to provide the best broadband service to the people in the State.

"The construction of telecommunication towers in a particular area will not have a huge radioactive impact on the local population, and this is what people need to be aware of because if we get protests, it will be difficult for the State Government to move forward in providing 5G technology," he said.

Meanwhile, on the launch of the new portal, he said it was the Perak Government's new online service (e-service) platform made available to departments, agencies and the community.

"This is an upgrade over the previous Perak Gerbang Mesra Rakyat Portal. This portal uses the ‘Single Sign-on’ concept with user registration based on their Mykad number," he said.