MEASAT Global Berhad - Malaysia’s Rural Broadband Service Provider is partnering with Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad to provide complimentary CONNECTme NOW high-speed broadband services to two Astro Kasih Hostels in East Malaysia.
The initiative currently benefits over 200 primary school students from remote hostels in SK Magandai (Kota Marudu) in Sabah and SK Sungai Paku (Kapit) in Sarawak.
“We are pleased to work with Astro to support the connectivity needs of the students as well as teachers and administrators at these Astro Kasih Hostels. As we experienced during the pandemic, when the majority of Malaysian students were learning online, it is crucial to have stable high-speed internet connectivity for our children to study effectively. Although classroom lessons are back in session, having access to online learning resources empowers students with additional tools to improve their academic outcomes. These Astro Kasih Hostels are helping students save hours off their daily commute, while the CONNECTme NOW services at each hostel help students access the internet with ease,” said Yau Chyong Lim, Chief Operating Officer, MEASAT.
MEASAT is installing CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband with speeds of up to 100Mbps at participating hostels. Hostels that do not have grid power will also be installed with solar power infrastructure to support the CONNECTme NOW equipment. The social impact of this programme will be reviewed from time to time to determine ways to increase its impact.
“Astro welcomes the contribution of CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service from MEASAT for the Astro Kasih Hostels. In the digital age, internet access is a must-have for all students, and is also in line with our focus on supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education’ in this instance. Efforts to improve facilities at these hostels to elevate access to academic resources and student wellbeing are among the ways in which Astro is collaborating with likeminded partners. Seeing the children able to save time previously spent on their daily commute and channelling it to academic revision as well as extracurricular and leisure activities further motivates us to do more for them,” added Euan Smith, Group Chief Executive Officer, Astro.
Meanwhile, commenting on the contribution, Jairun Maiba, Headmaster of SK Magandai said, “Thank you to MEASAT for providing CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service to our school. For children these days, even in remote areas like our location, having fast and reliable internet connection is critical not just to support their classroom studies and access educational content on the internet, but also serves recreational and communications purposes.”
Timbang anak Tuan, Headmaster of SK Sungai Paku, added, “We appreciate this effort by MEASAT to provide CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service in partnership with Astro to ensure that our students have the fast and reliable internet connection that they need. This can make an important difference to children living in rural areas and student hostels like ours, making it easier for them to access e-learning resources, communicate with family and friends or even be entertained.”