Melaka: The Ministry of Communications, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is conducting a study on the implementation of the National Address System (NAS) for a more authoritative, standardised, and integrated address network, said Minister Fahmi Fadzil. He stated that NAS would be the single addressing system and the primary reference recognised by the government, managing over 12 million addresses nationwide through close cooperation among various stakeholders.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the implementation of NAS would eliminate the need to rely on traditional methods such as identifying addresses based on roof colors, utility pole numbers, or milestone markers. Fahmi emphasized that developing NAS is a strategic move by the government to protect the sovereignty of the country’s geospatial data, ensuring that address data is managed domestically, thereby reducing reliance on foreign technology. This announcement was made during the document exchange ceremony for the Melaka Digital Village Initiative (KDM) with the Melaka state government.

Present at the ceremony were Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, Communications Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, and MCMC Chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din. Fahmi highlighted the significant challenges Malaysia faces with unstructured and inconsistent addresses, particularly in rural and densely populated urban areas. He pointed out that the absence of an authoritative address source has led to address data being managed separately by various agencies, causing inefficiencies in public service delivery and increasing reliance on foreign technology.

Fahmi noted that without an integrated addressing system, over RM700 million is spent annually on geospatial and navigation services from overseas, which strains the country’s revenue and heightens the risk in managing critical national infrastructure information. He acknowledged the importance of integrated address management in driving Malaysia’s digital economy, impacting sectors such as e-commerce, logistics, and smart town development.

In line with Section 57 of the Postal Services Act 2012 (Act 741), MCMC has the authority to develop, regulate, implement, maintain, and manage the postal code and address systems in Malaysia. During the Digital Economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Council meeting on June 24 last year, Fahmi mentioned that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had agreed to implement the NAS, which is identified as a key initiative under the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and the National 4IR Policy. This initiative aims to position Malaysia as a high-income nation driven by digitalisation and as a regional leader in the digital economy.

MCMC has begun collaborations with various agencies, including local authorities, the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, and local geospatial industry players. These collaborations are expected to benefit sectors such as courier, logistics, public delivery, and national defense. Earlier, Fahmi and Ab Rauf witnessed the document exchange on the KDM initiative, which aims to address unclear and unstructured house addresses in villages by using geospatial mapping technology and QR codes to develop a modern, systematic addressing system.