KUCHING, May 12 – Telecommunications coverage in Sarawak is expected to rise to 90 per cent next year with the construction of 149 new towers in the state, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said here today.

He said the tenders for the construction of these towers had been issued and work would begin by the end of this year at the latest.

“Sarawak is a large area and for people in the remote areas communication can help them to reach one another,” he told reporters after calling on Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem at the State Assembly building here.

Ahmad Shabery said the issue of telecommunications was one of the topics of their conversation at the meeting.

The minister said the construction of the towers was expected to cost RM200 million, and it was part of the ministry’s plan to build 400 towers throughout the country.