From Dial-up To Digital Nation: Malaysia’s Journey Surfing The Net

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- As Malaysians mark Malaysia Day this year, the nation’s digital journey offers a snapshot of how far the country has come in connecting its people.

From the first dial-up connections in the 90s to near-universal broadband, the internet has rewired how Malaysians work, play, and connect.

Malaysia’s journey began in 1988 when the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS) set up a university computer network called Rangkaian Komputer Malaysia (RangKom). It had four dial-up lines to Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands and the United States, offering access to email and newsgroups.

That pioneering step soon led to the establishment of Malaysia’s first internet service provider, JARING, under the Sixth Malaysia Plan in 1992.

Wider adoption followed after Telekom Malaysia launched TMNet in 1995, which soon became the country’s largest provider.

From 1995 to 1996, around 1 percent of Malaysians were online.

By 2023, figures from the World Bank showed that internet usage had surged to 98 percent of the population, reflecting one of the fastest technology adoptions in the country’s history.

Uptake accelerated in the 2010s as affordable smartphones and mobile internet became widespread. Internet usage among the population jumped from 56 percent in 2010 to 66 percent in 2012, reflecting how quickly Malaysians were getting online.

Government programmes such as the High-Speed Broadband initiative launched in 2010, together with private sector investment, further expanded connectivity across the country.

By 2012, the shift to mobile internet was clear worldwide. A report by the International Telecommunication Union that year noted that mobile broadband was the fastest-growing ICT service, with subscriptions expanding by 40 percent globally and 78 percent in developing countries. 

By then, there were already twice as many mobile-broadband subscriptions as fixed-broadband ones – a shift that made smartphones the primary way many people accessed the internet. 

That same year, Facebook acquired Instagram for about US$1 billion, a move widely seen as recognising the rise of mobile-first, visual platforms.

The World Bank data also show another sharp spike in 2021, when internet usage reached 97 percent of the population. This rise coincided with Malaysia’s COVID-19 lockdowns, as millions of people relied on the internet for remote work, online learning, and daily services during the Movement Control Order.

Today, near-universal connectivity has reshaped how Malaysians work, shop, study and communicate, while fuelling new industries such as e-commerce, fintech and artificial intelligence. But it has also brought new challenges: cybercrime, digital literacy gaps, and the unchecked spread of misinformation.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, chair of this year’s Malaysia Day celebration’s main committee, said true independence means remaining vigilant online.

“That freedom means nothing if we continue to be ‘colonised’ by scammers and slanderers,” he said on Sept 16, urging Malaysians to verify content before sharing.

He also stressed that patriotism must extend beyond ceremonial flag-flying: “We must defend our country’s sovereignty, our identity, our nation.”

As the nation reflects on six decades of unity, its digital journey stands as both a milestone and a reminder: progress must be matched with responsibility, ensuring that the internet remains a tool for empowerment rather than division.

-- BERNAMA