Bridging Sabah And Sarawak’s Connectivity Divide: A Look At Satellite Backhaul In Action

Sabah and Sarawak make up roughly 60% of Malaysia’s land area. And yet they hold only 17% of the population. 

That single statistic explains most of what makes connectivity in East Malaysia. This is so different from the Peninsula. 

Rivers, mountains, and dense rainforest sit where fiber cables and towers would normally go. 

However, reaching the communities on the other side takes more than laying more cable.

This gap comes down to geography and economics. Satellite backhaul has quietly become highly practical in Malaysia. 

It is a vital tool for businesses and government agencies. These organizations specifically operate across the Borneo region. 

This broad utility explains why the technology matters so much there.

Why Fibre Alone Cannot Close The Connectivity Gap

Fiber works well in cities. Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and other urban centers already enjoy strong broadband coverage. 

The difficulty starts once you move away from the coast and into the interior.

Sarawak alone is larger than England, and many of its communities are only reachable by river. Sabah is split by the Crocker Range and Mount Kinabalu, which leaves a string of towns and islands on the eastern side with limited road access. 

Population density drops as low as 21 to 52 people per square kilometer in parts of both states. 

This low density makes a fiber rollout difficult to justify financially. A single connection to a remote longhouse can cost hundreds of thousands of ringgit. 

This extreme cost assumes the difficult terrain allows a cable to be laid at all.

This is where satellite earns its place. A satellite terminal is a one-time hardware cost plus a fixed monthly fee, and it can be active within minutes rather than months.

What Cellular Backhaul Actually Means

In East Malaysia’s harder-to-reach areas, satellite-enabled cellular backhaul is the ultimate solution to bridge the connectivity gap. 

Cellular backhaul uses a satellite link to connect a local network, like a mobile tower or Wi-Fi hotspot, back to the wider internet or core network, replacing fiber or cable in areas without ground infrastructure.

Data travels from the tower to the satellite, then down to a gateway connected to the internet.

The tower itself does not change. It still delivers a normal 4G or 5G signal to nearby phones and devices. 

What changes is the path the signal takes once it leaves the tower, meaning a mobile site can be switched on almost anywhere without waiting for ground infrastructure to catch up.

The adoption of satellite backhaul in Malaysia has fundamentally transformed how operators approach these remote deployments.

Satellite Backhaul In Action

This is not just a theory. At least one Sarawak-based network operator has already built its 4G expansion around it, layering Starlink Malaysia on top of earlier C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band satellite links to reach communities that towers and fiber could not. 

For areas with fewer than 100 active users, satellite backhaul in Malaysia has proven to be one of the few cost-effective options, since it avoids the cost and delay of building physical infrastructure in terrain that barely allows for it.

This layered approach ensures that even the most isolated communities have a lifeline to essential digital services.

Government Programmes Are Moving In The Same Direction

This kind of deployment is not an isolated case. It fits a pattern that state and federal programmes have been pushing towards for the past few years. 

Sarawak’s Saluran programme, backed by RM2.3 billion in state investment, has taken internet coverage from 54.3% in 2022 to 94.5% by June 2026. 

Sabah has followed a similar path under the national JENDELA plan, moving from 73.41% coverage in populated areas to 98.7% by February 2026. 

This includes building hundreds of new towers and upgrading thousands of existing stations along the way. 

Strategic Funding And Infrastructure Development

Budget 2026 has since added RM780 million to JENDELA’s next phase, with most of the new sites earmarked for East Malaysia.

A separate national project, the SALAM submarine cable, is also underway to link Peninsular Malaysia directly with Sabah and Sarawak. 

Once complete, it will strengthen data capacity between major hubs across the country. 

It will not reach individual villages, plantations, or islands. 

That last stretch of the journey still depends on satellite, which is why satellite backhaul in Malaysia looks set to remain critical for some time.

Why This Matters For Business And Government

For enterprises and public agencies, connectivity is no longer a luxury in East Malaysia. It is a critical requirement for day-to-day operations:

Firstly, the plantations and mining operations require satellite-backed solutions for remote monitoring and reporting.

Secondly, government agencies and rural clinics need internet access to serve their constituents.

Also, urban-based businesses cannot afford downtime and need backup connectivity in the event of an outage.

Key Deployment Advantages

• Rapid Deployment Card: Satellite terminals bypass month-long infrastructure delays, activating critical network links within minutes.
• Cost Efficiency Card: Blending space-based systems with terrestrial frameworks avoids the millions required for physical cable layouts.

Trusted Regional Satellite Communication Service Providers

These trusted regional satellite communication service providers have enabled this transition.

With a global presence and years of experience, IEC Telecom partners with international satellite operators to provide Starlink Malaysia connectivity for enterprises and government agencies in Sabah and Sarawak. 

These places face geographical challenges, as well as the need for satellite backup to ensure uninterrupted operations in the urban core.

A Practical Path Ahead

Closing the connectivity gap between the Peninsula and East Malaysia will take time, but it will happen. 

Fiber, towers, submarine cable, and satellite operators all play a part, and the most successful ecosystems recognize the value of working together.

The numbers tell a compelling story of how satellite backhaul in Malaysia is helping to connect the region, one tower, one clinic, and one office at a time.

For enterprises and public agencies looking to invest in the area, understanding the role of satellite connectivity is a good place to start.

This unified infrastructure model proves that blending terrestrial and space-based technologies is the only realistic way to achieve total digital inclusion across Malaysia.

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