Households earning less than RM$3,000 (US$963.39) a month will enjoy free Internet for the first 30 minutes every day, in a new government initiative set to start next month. internet-web

According to The New Straits Times, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Tuesday, at a Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) staff gathering, that those registered under 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) assistance scheme will be among those to benefit from this move.

"We are providing free Internet for the poor in villages and towns, for the first half hour of usage," Najib said. He added this was a community-centric initiative that would be expanded to include more Malaysians and would contribute to the country's growing digital penetration.

As a starting point, the database for BR1M recipients will be used to select those who qualify for the initiative, added Rais Yatim, Information, Communications and Culture Minister, who will be spearheading the initiative. Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula will also be involved when carrying out the effort, he added.

The ministry will also finalize the mechanism of the initiative by next week and determine if it will include subscribers of broadband, high-speed broadband and fibre optic Internet services, Rais explained.