# MCMC — Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

> Agency entity page for the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission — its statutory basis, the four categories of licensable activity, the difference between individual and class licences, and what it can and cannot do about internet content.

- Category: government
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-01
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/mcmc-communications-multimedia-commission

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Every phone call, Internet connection, television broadcast and messaging app in
Malaysia operates under a single common licensing regime — and the commission
that structures that regime is MCMC.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia / Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission |
| Abbreviation | SKMM (BM) / MCMC (EN) |
| Type | Statutory body |
| Enabling statute | Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998 (Act 589) |
| Began operating | 1 November 1998, through P.U.(B) 451/98 |
| Industry statute | Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) |
| Reports to | The Minister responsible for communications and multimedia |
| Website | `mcmc.gov.my` |

## How did MCMC come to exist?

MCMC was born of two acts passed together in 1998. The first, **Act 589**,
establishes the Commission itself and gives it the power to supervise and
regulate communications and multimedia activities in Malaysia, and to enforce
the country's communications and multimedia laws. Act 589 received royal assent
on 23 September 1998, and the Commission began operating on 1 November 1998
through P.U.(B) 451/98.

The second, **Act 588** — the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 —
creates the framework for regulating the converged communications and multimedia
industry. It came into force on 1 April 1999, with certain specific sections
implemented in stages after that date.

The big idea behind Act 588 is *convergence*. Previously, telecommunications,
broadcasting and information technology were three separate industries with
three sets of laws. When digital technology blurred the boundaries between them
— phones carrying video, the Internet carrying broadcasts — a single act
replaced all three with one single definition of the industry.

The national policy objectives set out in Section 3 of Act 588 include making
Malaysia a global hub for information and content services, regulating for the
long-term benefit of end users, and ensuring information security and network
reliability.

## What does it regulate?

MCMC's scope spans mobile and fixed telecommunications, broadband, satellite
communications, broadcasting, postal and courier services, and digital
signatures. All of these are consolidated into four categories of activity that
require a licence under Act 588:

| Category | Meaning | Common examples |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Network facilities provider (NFP) | Owning or providing network facilities | Towers, fibre-optic cables, sites and poles, satellites |
| Network services provider (NSP) | Providing carrier network services | Connectivity and traffic transport services |
| Applications services provider (ASP) | Providing applications services to users | Voice telephony, Internet access, messaging services |
| Content applications services provider (CASP) | Applications services that provide content | Television and radio broadcasting, video on demand |

This separation matters: a single telecommunications company may hold several
licences at once because it owns towers (NFP), operates a network (NSP) and
sells data plans to customers (ASP). A licence under one category does not
exempt the obligation to obtain a licence under another category (Section 132).

## How does licensing work?

This is where the most common misunderstanding arises. **MCMC is not the party
that grants the licence** — it assesses and recommends; the Minister decides.

For individual licences, the applicant applies to the Commission, which then
makes a written recommendation to the Minister within sixty days (Section 29).
It is the Minister who grants or refuses the licence (Section 30). For class
licences, it is the Minister who grants the licence (Section 44) — with standard
conditions declared by the Minister — and the Commission that registers it.

| | Individual licence | Class licence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| For whom | A particular person, a particular activity | Anyone carrying on a prescribed activity |
| How obtained | Application + Commission recommendation + Minister's approval | Granted by the Minister; holder must register |
| Main obligation | Comply with standard and special licence conditions | Must register with the Commission before operating (Section 131) |
| Suited to | Large operators with infrastructure | Low-risk, broad-scale activities |

This two-tier system enables proportionate regulation: large network operators
go through the full scrutiny of an individual licence, while lighter activities
are covered by a class licence that requires only registration.

## Who needs a licence?

Section 126 provides that, subject to exemptions determined by the Minister, no
person may own or provide a network facility, provide a network service, or
provide an applications service except under a valid individual licence or class
licence.

The warnings in this Act are not symbolic. Section 126(2) provides that any
person who contravenes this provision may, on conviction, be liable to a fine
not exceeding **RM500,000** or imprisonment not exceeding **five years** or both,
and a further fine of **RM1,000 for each day** the offence is continued after
conviction.

For content, Section 205 sets a separate prohibition: no person may provide a
content applications service except under a valid individual licence or class
licence under that Part.

## Internet content: what can and can't MCMC do?

This is the part most frequently misunderstood. Act 588 contains a clear
guarantee in Section 3(3): *nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting
the censorship of the Internet*. This provision is rooted in the guarantees of
the 1990s-era Multimedia Super Corridor.

But that guarantee is not an absolute licence for all content. Section 233 makes
the **improper use of a network facility or network service** an offence — that
is, making or transmitting any communication that is obscene, indecent, false,
threatening or offensive with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another
person. The penalty is a fine not exceeding **RM50,000** or imprisonment not
exceeding **one year** or both, together with a further fine of RM1,000 a day.

In other words, this Act prohibits blanket censorship of the Internet but still
imposes criminal liability for certain content carried over the network. The
enforcement of Section 233 against online speech is the subject of ongoing
public discussion in Malaysia; readers who need specific legal interpretation
should refer to professional legal advice (see `verificationNeeded`).

## The most common misconceptions

**MCMC is not the ultimate licensor.** The Commission recommends; the Minister
grants or refuses individual licences and grants class licences. Casually
referring to an "MCMC licence" can obscure who actually makes the decision.

**A class licence still requires registration.** Many assume a class licence
means "nothing needs to be done". On the contrary, Section 131 requires
registration with the Commission before a person may operate under a class
licence.

**The name of the parent ministry changes from time to time.** The portfolio
that oversees MCMC has been reorganised several times. Verify the current
responsible minister and ministry at `mcmc.gov.my` before relying on it in
official documents.

## What's next

For actual matters, start by identifying your category of activity — network
facilities, network services, applications services, or content — because that
category is what determines the type of licence and the sections that apply.
Verify the current list of licences, class-licence registration requirements and
the fee schedule at the official MCMC portal at `mcmc.gov.my`, as the subsidiary
details are updated from time to time outside the text of the Act.

## Sources

- Akta Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia 1998 [Akta 589] — https://www.mcmc.gov.my/en/legal/acts/malaysian-communications-and-multimedia-commission (Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC))
- Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 [Act 588] — https://www.mcmc.gov.my/en/legal/acts/communications-and-multimedia-act-1998-reprint-200 (Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC))
- Laws of Malaysia — Act 588 Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (teks penuh) — https://contentforum.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CMA-1998.pdf (Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia)

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