Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon are seeking to meet Malaysia’s prime minister to ask that foreign vessels be allowed to repair undersea cables in its waters, a Google spokesperson has said.
The tech giants sent a letter on Wednesday to the office of the new premier, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, to discuss Malaysia’s cabotage policy, seeking the reinstatement of an exemption revoked last year under the previous government, said the spokesperson for Google.
Cabotage rules regulate activities in a country’s waters.
The tech giants are being represented by Malaysia’s national internet exchange body, Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX), which is taking the lead on engaging with the government.
MyIX chairman Chiew Kok Hin said the situation would be different if the domestic industry was more developed, with several companies having the required cable repair capabilities.
“Where’s the harm in allowing tech giants to continue using foreign vessels for repair works while facilitating transfer of knowledge so the local industry can develop,” Chiew told journalists via Email, adding that there was only one Malaysian company in the industry and it lacked the capability.
Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon.com did not immediately respond to queries on the letter. Nor did the PM’s Office or the Transport Ministry.
The ministry last November overturned the exemption, granted in 2019, allowing non-Malaysian ships to carry out repairs to submarine cables. The tech giants also wrote to the then-premier, Muhyiddin Yassin, seeking to reinstate the waiver.
Ismail Sabri took over https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysias-king-expected-name-new-pm-after-rulers-meet-2021-08-20 as prime minister two weeks ago after Muhyiddin lost his parliamentary majority.
The tech group said it was “very concerned” about last year’s decision.
“This exemption had ensured that submarine cable repair works could be conducted efficiently within a short time frame, thus minimising the duration and economic impact of cable disruptions,” they said.
Journalists at our partner news agency Reuters did not have details on when and how the cables were damaged or what impact the damage has had on communications but MyIX said 98% of internet traffic runs on subsea cables.
The team at Platform Executive hope you have enjoyed the ‘[post_title]’ article. Automatic translation from English to a growing list of languages via Google AI Cloud Translation. Initial reporting via our official content partners at Thomson Reuters. Reporting by Liz Lee. Editing by William Mallard, Robert Birsel.
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