To solve urban bandwidth problem of congestion, high data demand, legacy copper cable, expensive fiber cables and limited cellular spectrum, YTL Communications together with Facebook will be deploying a new network connectivity, Terragraph as pilot in Georgetown, Penang.

The deployment would be the first large-scale market pilot in Asia that will bring telecommunications companies, businesses and agencies together expand the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan’s in  aiming to improve broadband quality and coverage and reduce broadband price. The unique proposition of Terragraph enables service providers to deploy low-cost, high-speed connectivity in dense urban and suburban areas by utilising existing street furniture. Facebook has produced a reference design for Terragraph hardware, including the tools and software needed to operate the technology, that will be leveraged for this pilot. The six-month-long market pilot will include the provision of Public WiFi and Fixed Wireless Access.

Georgetown was selected as its  located in a dense and urban area and also home to one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. The city’s legacy infrastructure and prestigious UNESCO status make it challenging to run fibre to every household, thereby limiting the availability of high-quality broadband Internet access.

According to YTL CEO Wing K Lee, the pilot clearly confirms the viability of wireless as an effective last mile solution. The technical breakthrough in providing gigabit wireless using Terragraph is a preview of the exciting era of 5G. With Terragraph, Facebook is building a robust and collaborative ecosystem of chipset vendors, manufacturers and service providers to bring high-quality connectivity to urban and suburban areas.

Facebook introduced Terragraph in 2016, designed to bring gigabit speed to dense urban areas. Terragraph is the underlying technology bringing gigabit speeds to support data demand of urban residents, visitors and accelerating new smart-city services.