Bridging the Digital Divide via Wireless Technologies

RECENT ADVANCES in E-ACTIVITIES, INFORMATION SECURITY and PRIVACY

Bridging the Digital Divide via Wireless Technologies in Malaysia: An Analysis at Central Region ZAINI AMIR, NORIZAN ABDUL RAZAK, JAMALUDDIN AZIZ E-Community Research Center Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600, Bangi UKM. Selangor MALAYSIA [email protected] [email protected] Abstract: One of the most striking changes in the use of technology is the explosive growth in the use of wireless technology. Wireless networking has become more available, affordable, and easy to use. In Malaysia, the applications and use of the information communication technology (ICT) and wireless technology have potential to link Malaysian in all communities and empower them to access information and knowledge digitally no matter where they are. This paper looks at the impact of wireless technology in selected urban and rural areas in the central region of the country namely Perak, Selangor and Malacca. Findings from the study will be presented in two parts: firstly, the general review of the wireless technology in terms of its access, applications and technology. Secondly, the impact of wireless technology in terms of education, social, health and productivity. This is in line to supporting the Malaysian government’s aspiration towards building the knowledge society by the year 2020. Key-Words: wireless technology, digital divide, wireless networking, empowerment, knowledge society, rural and urban areas Malaysian community. For these purposes, about RM1 billion has been allocated under the Plan to carry out ICT programs and projects to increase the usage of ICT among communities in rural areas. The diffusion and usage of ICT within and across sectors is further expanded as ICT has a strategic role in accelerating economic growth. The 8th Malaysian Plan has been completed and implemented and yet there are still areas need to be focused in terms of assisting Malaysians to have higher rate of using ICT in their daily lives.

1 Introduction In recent years, wireless networking has become more available, affordable and easy to use. In Malaysia, the penetration and adoption of the wireless technologies is experiencing an outstanding growth. Home users are adopting wireless technology in great numbers. Laptop users often find free access to wireless connections in places like coffee shops, airports and hotel lobbies because the wireless card is already pre-installed when buying the laptop. The low rate of subscription fees to the internet via broadband is also an encouraging factor for the high adoption rate at the urban areas. However there is still a very marked differences of the take up rate of the urban and rural areas on the use of broadband and mainly this is due to the fact that the infrastructure is still not available to all the zones in Malaysia and also the awareness and needs to use broadband at the rural areas is still very low.

Under the title “Mainstreaming Communication and Information Technology in the 9th Malaysian Plan” blueprint, the Government of Malaysia is committed towards continuous improvement in addressing the need of creating knowledge society [2]. In fact, the major thrust for Malaysia to become a fully developed country envisioned by the year 2020 is the creation of an information rich, value added knowledge society

1.1 Broadband initiatives in Malaysia

Thus in order to assist the higher take up of ICT, the strategies adopted to achieve the vision for ubiquitous computing within Malaysian society include wired and wireless mode. The implementation of these strategies is not only being carried out by the federal government and the state governments, but also through a tripartite partnership involving the private sector telecommunication companies. The USP

The 8th Malaysia Plan (8MP), which covered the period of 2001-2005 was primarily aimed at sustaining economic growth and competitiveness in the face of growing globalization and liberalization [1]. One of the thrusts was to shift the growth strategy from input-driven to knowledge-driven and productivity-driven. One of the strategies of MP8 is to provide world class ICT infrastructure and increase the e-participation of

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Communication Tower Project Program is an example of this public-private partnership providing cellular coverage in the deprived areas due to their remoteness and uneconomic locations.

3 Sampling This study presents the findings of the survey conducted for the central region. Three states are categorized within this region namely Perak, Selangor and Malacca. In total, ten locations were surveyed. The locations selected are four in Selangor (two urban, and two rural) and four in Perak (two urban, and two rural), and two in Malacca (two urban, and two rural). The findings discussed is based from 279 responses received. Table 1 tabulates the status of the survey.

The pervasiveness of ICT infrastructural development is currently being extended throughout the country covering the rural and even the remote areas. Substantial budget has been allocated under the 8th and 9th Malaysia Plan for ICT facilities and services. A total of RM12.9 billion has been allocated for ICT projects and programs in the 9th Malaysia Plan with 30% goes to the rural and remote areas under the Bridging the Digital Divide initiatives [3]. This initiative aimed at providing equal access and opportunity for ICT facilities and services to the citizens. This would enable wireless technologies in the form of communication towers, very small aperture satellites (VSAT), Wimax and Wifi hotspots and transmitters to be installed in remote regions within reach by local communities.

Table 1 Locations and Status of Questionnaires Returned Locations Selangor Bangi,Shah Alam Banting Perak Teluk Intan, Ipoh, Tanjung Malim Tronoh Malacca Bandar Melaka, Air Keroh Serkam, Jeperun TOTAL

In the wireless internet segment, one large scale project being rolled-out is the Kuala Lumpur Wireless Metropolitan project (KLWMP). A joint venture between KL and local technology Green Packet the RM60m ($17.9m) KLWMP will develop a network of 2000 free wireless hotspots throughout the capital within two years [4]. Phase one which is already under way calls for 1500 hotspots to be installed around the golden triangle area of Kuala Lumpur. Green packet subsidiary Packet One will provide RM50m ($14.9m) for the initial phase, while telecommunications regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur will each invest in an additional RM5m ($1.5m) [5]. A total of 2008 registered hotspots were present in the country through September 2008, the largest concentration of which was located in Kuala Lumpur with 677, followed by Selangor with 428, Perak with 203 and Penang with 122. At same time, there were 346,000 hotspot subscriptions throughout the country, nearly double the 180,100 registered in the first quarter of 2007[6].

Received

Urban

75

60

Rural

75

40

Urban

75

50

Rural

75

29

Urban

75

60

Rural

75

40 279

3.1 Socio-demographics The total number of respondents representing the central region is 279. The distribution of males and females respondents is 53% and 46.9% respectively. Whereas, about 32.2% of the respondents are married and 67.8% are still single. Most of the respondents aged between 19 to 35 years old (49.9%), followed by those aged more than 35 years old (46.9%), and less than 18 years old (3.2%). The ethnicity of the respondents are Malays (59%); Indians (17%) and Chinese (24%) respectively and majority of the respondents hold Bachelor degree (55.5%).

2 A Research on the Impact of Wireless Technology A survey was conducted to gauge the take up rate and adoption of wireless technologies among the users in the central region. There were 279 respondents who filled up and responded to the surveys. The research is based on the quantitative research technique. A set of questionnaire was developed and validated by experts. The interview protocol was designated to further elicit responses beyond the scope of quantitative data.

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Category Distributed

4

Access and adoption of Wireless Technology

When the respondents were being asked about their pattern of using wireless technology to access internet, more than half of the respondents (65.5%) claimed that they used wireless mode to connect to internet. 56% accessed the internet through their computers using

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mobile modem and only 3% through their PDAs. The data shows quite high adoption rate and this could be due to the fact that the Central Region is also a very high populated areas and have high economic opportunities as compared to other parts of Malaysia. The other 34.5% of the respondents who did not use wireless to access internet may not have the need for it or there may not have such facilities where they live for example the semi urban and also urban poor areas.

Table 1: Wireless Applications Usage Application Mobile phone Digital camera Computer PDA

The findings suggested that, restaurants are the most common place where wireless technology is accessed (23%). The famous internet access restaurants are those like Coffee Bean, Starbucks, and local fast food restaurants which we called Restaurant 24 hours operated by Indian Muslims. Of these respondents 81.8% indicate that they use this service free of charge, and only 18.2% have to pay for it. The next most common among the respondents are at the hotel lobbies (22%). Most of the access to the internet at the hotel lobbies are free but majority of the hotels in Malaysia still charge for internet access in the rooms or meeting rooms. The rate is usually about RM20 – RM50 per day. Other common places are rest areas (R&R), libraries, airports, e-community centres, and in-campus, schools or workplaces. Figure 1 refers to the places where wireless technology is commonly used.

5 The Impact of Wireless Technology In order to understand the impact of the wireless technology towards the lifestyles of the respondents, several questions were prepared and asked related to the impact of wireless technology towards education, social, health and productivity.

Figure 1: Places of Access

With regards to content accessed via internet most respondents (90.5%) says that wireless technology allows them to enjoy multimedia content online. Apart from that, 81.6% say that they could download data quicker, and 89.2% agree that they can get access to Internet anytime anywhere at their convenience. Slightly more than 84.1% respondents agree that they could surf the internet at their convenience without having to worry the time and duration of surfing. 68.7% said that they could surf the internet 24 hours a day without having to pay extra. In terms of costs, 81.5% agree that wireless technology allow them to save more compared to normal wired installation. This can help them in saving on phone rentals and calls.

Other Public Places 6% Libraries 6% Hotel lobbies e22% community centers 18%

4.2

Restaurants 23%

For educational purposes it has also been found that wireless technology allows the respondents (93.8%) to get access to internet to search for reference materials, 88.0% to films and attractive locations and 94.1% respondents agree that they also get to know about current news and latest issues.

Wireless Technology Applications

The respondents were asked on the applications of the wireless technology and two hundred and sixty (93.1%) respondents claimed that they use it to transmit data between communication devices (Table 1). The communication devices include mobile phone (26.1%), digital camera (21.3%), computer (6.9%), and PDAs (2.5%).

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Percentage 66.5 26.0 6.0 1.5

4.2.1 The Use of Bluetooth Technology In the central region, more than half of the respondents (70.8%) have utilized the benefits of wireless headphone. Out of these respondents, most of them have been using the Bluetooth technology (83.6%) and have used wireless headphone. Ninety-one respondents (32.6%) agree that they use printer with the support of wireless devices. However, they did not specify the detail of the wireless devices. Eighty-four respondents (30.1%) confirm that they use mobile phone as a modem to access internet, while 49.6% have used mobile phone to access and surf the internet.

4.1 Places of access

Rest Areas 13% Airports 12%

Frequency 173 67 16 4

Slightly more than 84% respondents agree that wireless technology suits their lifestyles. Almost 91.2% respondents say that they can communicate with their

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peers and friends and approximately 84.9% respondents agree that it helps them in their daily activities such as making appointments, schedules and calendars. They (79.7%) felt that now they could manage their schedules better.

Self-organization - check calendar - make appointment Security & Privacy - aware of privacy issues - more cautious on security

The impact of wireless technology within an organization, 91.8% of the respondents agree that it will help organizations to become more efficient, and competitive. Roughly 93.0% agree that wireless technology allows a more efficient working space as printing and transferring files can be done without needing to be wired all the time and they felt more mobile as internet access can be done even at the corridor and also the meeting rooms. Apart from that, 87.7% believe that it allows them to use the internet and 92.3% agree that they can also check on information immediately while working or holding meetings.

5.3 Health This research also surveys respondents’ perception on how wireless technology can assist them in the context of health. Table 3 lists the purposes and ranks them. The findings suggest that majority of the respondents felt that the wireless technology as a resource to get some health tips. This is followed by to access health information, get online counseling services, get information on first aid/emergency case, as medium for questions and answers, access information on types of medicine, as intermediary between specialists and patients, as medium for reporting emergency cases, as medium of warning of for epidemics, and as reminder on time for medication.

Majority of the respondents, 86.4% agree that the technology does motivate them in learning especially in accessing materials in- campus and also off-campus. For college students the wireless environment in campus does help them to download learning materials at time convenience for them and not restricted lab hours. For those who are not learning in institutions of higher learning, the wireless environment do help them in accessing educational materials for the lifelong learning purposes 90%. Apart from improving the students’ learning, wireless technology is also found to improve learning opportunity of most respondents and 90.3% also agree that it facilitates collaborative learning and encourage them to use various technological applications.

Table 3: Purpose of Use in Health Purpose of use As a resource for health tips Access health information Get information on first aid/emergency case Get online counseling services Access information on types of medicine As medium for questions and answers As intermediary between specialists and patients As medium for reporting emergency cases As medium of warning of for epidemics As reminder on time for medication

5.2 Social In order to gauge the social impact of the use of wireless technology several questions were listed in the questionnaire and Table 2 lists them out accordingly. Table 2: Impacts on Social Aspects Percentage 93.6 93.2 80.8 Information search - inculcate knowledge society values - maximize Internet usage - assist search for premises and locations

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89.5 86.1

Thus from Table 2 we can conclude the highest impact of wireless technology is to assist communications and also relationship followed by information search and self organization. Even though the respondents felt that they are aware of the privacy issues but the way how to have safe transactions and secured data in wireless environment must be taught more aggressively as their data are exposed to public when they are accessing internet at the public places.

5.1 Education

Social aspects Communication & relationship - interact through Internet - add value to the relationship - socialize with friends

84.1 81.5

92.8 83.8 85.1

Percentage 88.7 88.5 86.7 83.6 83.1 81.1 78.7 77.7 76.2 72.1

Thus, these findings showed that the as the respondents are aware what the wireless technology can do for them in health context, real applications of the use is still low.

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The handphone has been widely used to convey messages of the upcoming epidemics but public at large are still skeptical whether to trust or not to trust messages conveyed via phone unless it is from the trustworthy sources. The communication between specialist and patients usually in the hospitals or during the consultation times and not many specialists would like to be called or texted after clinical hours.

6 Conclusion The study on the impact of wireless technologies indicates that there is a positive response in the provision of broadband technology [7]. This is highlighted with the high take-up rate and positive adoption patterns on the use of wireless communications among the respondents in the central region. For home-based setting, broadband should be made ready to produce a higher take-up rate among the respondents. In realizing value added knowledge societies, the public must be made aware that many of the technological devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, laptops can access internet and information in a very efficient way anywhere and any place. They need to be educated on the applications and the security aspects of the use of wireless technologies so that they could reap the maximum benefits. Since PDAs, mobile phones, Bluetooth technologies are actually cheaper, compared to owning a computer, the community should be utilizing these gadgets to access information and will be influential tools in bridging the digital divide [8]. This findings will spearhead the needs to develop more mobile content that can be accessed via the handphones and as the basis for ensuring that the subscription fees of mobile broadband is at the rate that is affordable by the community at large. This will help them access information beyond the wired environment and beyond the locations of existing access points at home, office and other places.

5.4 Productivity The purposes of using wireless technology in the productivity sector are ranked as follows: Most respondents agree that wireless technology can help them in widening their daily activities (81.5%), facilitating discussion matters at any places (81.5%), giving more self mobility (81.0%), and providing latest economic information (79.8%). 75.5% of the respondents mentioned that their production rates have increased. However, thepercentage of increased in profit, varies as the highest is between 61.0% to 80.0%. They believe that the increase in demand may be due to the use of wireless technology which facilitates effective promotion, online transactions, business management, access to relevant sites, and communication. Wireless technology helps businessmen to promote their products through internet advertisement and mobile phone applications. In terms of business management, the respondents believe that they can enhance their business knowledge because wireless technology is a medium that offers varieties of information resources, allows online discussions (blog forum), permits the creation of business networking/circle, and provides channel for customers’ feedbacks.

References: [1] Dewan Rakyat 2001. Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001 2005) http://www.ids.org.my/planpolicy/focus.htm. 2001. [2] Ninth Malaysia Plan 2006-2010: Mainstreaming Information and Communications Technology Economic Planning Unit © Malaysia Prime Minister's Department, 2006, 53 pages. [3] Economic Planning Unit. Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), The Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister Department, Putrajaya, http://www.epu.jpm.my/rm9/html/english.htm, 2006. [4] KL the wireless online metropolitan, The Star online, May 13, 2008. [5] Kementerian Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi, The National Broadband Plan: Enabling High Speed Under MyICMS 886,Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad, Putrajaya, 2006. [6] The Report: Malaysia 2009 by Oxford business group, 2009. [7] Zaini Amir. Integrating Mobile Wireless Technology in Higher Education for Life Long Learning: Bridging the Digital Divide at Urban and Rural Areas. LYICT 2008 Joint Open and Working IFIP Conference: ICT and Learning for the Net

In business activities, the respondents believe that they manage to use the technology to improve their business productivity through quick information dissemination. Internet banking facilitates them in checking their accounts, making and receiving payments, and stock trading. There is a case where one of the respondents involved in the advertisement business has managed to improve his business circle through the use of wireless technology. The e-mail technology assists him in his business processes whereby the advertisement design layout can be deliberated with his customers online effectively. The use of the technology has boosted up their business reputation and image as technology savvy. For those who conduct businesses at home, wireless technology facilitates them in promoting their products and services as well as interacting with their current and potential customers and clients.

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Generation. 2008. [8] Zaini Amir dan Norizan Abdul Razak. Impak Teknologi Tanpa Wayar terhadap Masyarakat Malaysia. Hari e-Komuniti bersama penyelidik dan penyelia Telecenter, Malaysia, 2008.

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