Geocode system being planned to enhance postal services

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 -- Pos Malaysia plans to establish a system using digital address or geocoding in an effort to improve the postal and courier services in the country.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said through the system, each individual would be identified through their own geocode, thus facilitating the delivery of packages.

“This will facilitate the search for recipients and ensure that there are no delays in delivering the goods which have been sent to them,” he said.

"However this Pos Malaysia's digital transformation is still under process and I hope to make an announcement on this matter soon," he said during oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Lim Kit Siang (PH-Iskandar Puteri) on the ministry's plan to improve the postal service system.

Meanwhile, Gobind said the government had constructed 92 communication towers operating around Orang Asli settlements nationwide, while six more new towers were under construction and expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.

"The process of improving the quality of communication services in rural areas including the Orang Asli villages is an ongoing thing," he said in response to Lim's original question on non-internet connectivity, correspondence, radio and television broadcasts in Orang Asli settlements.

On access to broadcast platform on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), he said the Orang Asli community had begun receiving radio broadcast nationwide through shortwave services since the Orang Asli radio station was established on Feb 3, 1959.

"From a half hour broadcast, the ASYIKfm radio channel now operates 15 hours a day and RTM  is constantly improving the rate of access to this radio channel," he said adding that the broadcast could also be heard through RTM mobile application, internet radio streaming and radio broadcast through  Astro NJOI on channel 875 as well as the MyFreeview broadcast.

For television broadcasts, RTM channels such as TV1, TV2, Okey TV and Trial News  Channels are now 100% accessible nationwide through the MyFreeview digital platform in line with the National Broadcast Digitization Project.

Meanwhile, Gobind announced that he would brief  all MPs next week on the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP).

-- BERNAMA