Brunei’s telecommunications sector remains steadfast in its mission to advance the nation’s digital landscape, offering enhanced network capabilities and services that promise an elevated online experience for consumers and local businesses.
A collaborative effort spearheaded by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI), in partnership with key players including Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd, Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST), imagine Sdn Bhd, Progresif Sdn Bhd, and Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN), culminated yesterday in a significant milestone: elevating the fixed broadband baseline speed for all subscribers to a minimum of 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
The strategic push towards higher broadband speeds, ranging from 100Mbps up to 500Mbps, is poised to revolutionise online experiences. By facilitating faster data transmission, this move significantly enhances web browsing, streaming high-quality content, and ensures seamless operation across multiple devices simultaneously.
The initiative marks the second phase of the Fixed Broadband Uplift Programme, aligning with Brunei’s Digital Economy Masterplan 2024 and Brunei Vision 2035 – an aspiration to transform the nation into a Smart Nation. The programme embodies a culmination of investments in network infrastructure modernisation and fiberisation since January 2020, coupled with unwavering commitment from field, operations, and network teams to provide state-of-the-art digital connectivity, aligning with global standards.
The programme not only enables affordable high-speed Internet, matching regional benchmarks, but also includes a seamless transition for existing subscribers to higher bandwidths at no extra cost.
This endeavour has already earned Brunei a commendable position, now at the 94th place in the Global Median Speed Index as of July 2023, showcasing a leap of six places from the previous year.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that this upgrade is seamless, delivering an effortless, faster, and more enjoyable online experience for our customers,” said DST Acting Chief Operating Officer Ang Kian Han.
Director of Industry and Business Ecosystem Division, Ministry of Finance and Economy and imagine Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allen On said the upgrade is pivotal to realising the Smart Nation vision, enabling local industries to flourish through enhanced infocommunication technology capabilities.
Progresif CEO Hajah Nurul Haniah binti Haji Jaafar echoed the sentiment, emphasising customer-focused innovation to deliver accessible and personalised Internet experiences.
The global landscape is rapidly adapting to digital connectivity, and Brunei’s push to fortify Internet resilience and faster speeds positions it as a frontrunner in the Southeast Asian region.
The broadband speed uplift, along with the recent one gigabit proof-of-concept, underscores the industry’s commitment to propelling the nation towards digital integration and connectivity excellence. Brunei’s telecommunications industry stands at the forefront of the transformation, nurturing a more connected and digitally integrated future – one step closer to realising a gigabit society.
