History of telecommunications in Malaysia

This article is intended to give an overview of the history of telecommunications in Malaysia.

The first telegraph line connecting to the British Resident at Perak House in Kuala Kangsar to the house of Deputy British Resident in Perak at Taiping, and was laid by the Department of Posts and Telegraph in 1874.

[1] This telegraph line measured 42.5 km and travelled across a forest at Bukit Berapit, and signalled the beginning of the era of telecommunications in Malaysia.

However, during the Japanese occupation in World War II, the telegraph lines were nearly completely destroyed by the Japanese army.

As of 2022, there are 5 licensed cellular operators in Malaysia: CelcomDigi, Maxis Communications, U Mobile, YTL Communications and unifi mobile (formerly known as webe digital).