Redazione RHC : 21 October 2025 22:39
Malaysia has announced the construction of a new submarine fiber-optic cable system to boost connectivity between the eastern and western parts of the country, aiming to support the growth of its digital economy.
The Deputy Minister of Communications said on Sunday, October 12, that the government has approved an investment of RM2 billion to build the project, called the Chang Ming Submarine Cable System . The initiative is part of the government’s Madani Submarine Cable Connection (SALAM) program, which aims to improve the national network infrastructure.
The system, approximately 3,190 kilometres long, will connect East and West Malaysia, providing increased data transmission capacity to cope with the exponential growth of internet traffic, especially with the expansion of artificial intelligence and advanced digital services.
At an event in Kulai, Johor , Chong – who is also a DAP Kulai MP – pointed out that the current undersea network, the 1Malaysia People’s Undersea Cable System (SCREAM) , which has been operational since January 2017 and is approximately 3,820 kilometres long, has now almost reached its capacity limit.
“The volume of data traveling on the internet continues to grow significantly, especially in the age of artificial intelligence,” Chong explained. “Therefore, it is essential to build a new submarine cable system that will provide greater transmission capacity and improve network performance between the two regions of the country.”
The Deputy Minister did not, however, indicate the start or completion date of the works.
The initiative was also confirmed by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim , who on October 10 , during the presentation of the 2026 Budget to the Dewan Rakyat , announced the allocation of RM2 billion for the Chang Ming project and a further RM2 billion for the development of the Sovereign AI Cloud . The latter aims to strengthen national data management and the security of sensitive information.
With these investments, the government aims to consolidate Malaysia’s position as a regional technology hub, improving the resilience of the country’s digital infrastructure and connectivity in an increasingly digital-driven global economy.
Redazione