MEASAT Global Berhad will launch its MEASAT-3d satellite next week on 23 June. Thanks to the High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capacity of the MEASAT-3d, it will bring high-speed broadband internet via MEASAT’s CONNECTme NOW service to over two million Malaysians.

These folks are mostly located in hard-to-reach rural villages, where mobile internet coverage is limited, let alone copper-based or fibre internet. The company’s CONNECTme NOW internet service is mainly catered to individuals residing in these rural locations.

Once the MEASAT-3d satellite is launched, it will improve the capability of MEASAT’s services quite a bit. The connection speeds of CONNECTme NOW, for one, will increase from 30Mbps to 100Mbps. Telco providers can even tap into the new satellite to offer data, voice, and video services.

“MEASAT is proud to support the Malaysian government’s initiatives, including the Jalinan Digital Negara (JENDELA) plan to close the digital connectivity gap and enable a better-connected future for all Malaysians, by expanding high-speed internet coverage in under-connected rural areas,” said the COO of MEASAT, Yau Chyong Lim.

“With MEASAT-3d and through CONNECTme NOW, we look forward to providing internet access for the unserved population,” he added.

MEASAT-3d is set to be launched on 23 June Malaysian time next week. With an estimated lifespan of 18 years, the RM1.2 billion satellite will remain in service for quite some time.