Malaysia's Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will study expanding the CoPA metric to cover key economic areas, according to a report by The Malaysian Reserve.

The plan signals that Kuala Lumpur wants its communications-performance measurement to track more than basic connectivity. It wants the metric to reflect how networks serve the industries that drive national output.

What is on the table?

The study will examine whether the CoPA metric, currently used to gauge communications performance, should extend to designated key economic areas. Two institutions lead the work: the Communications Ministry, which sets policy direction, and MCMC, the regulator that administers communications and multimedia oversight in Malaysia.

For operators, the significance is straightforward. A broader metric changes how regulators measure network performance against economic activity. It can reshape reporting obligations and influence where investment is directed.

Why does the metric matter to practitioners?

Metrics drive behaviour. When a regulator measures connectivity against specific economic zones, operators face pressure to align coverage and capacity with those zones.

The study phase matters because it determines scope. Which economic areas count, how performance is scored, and what thresholds apply will all emerge from this work before any binding rules follow.

No implementation date, budget figure, or list of target sectors was disclosed in the report. The announcement establishes intent to study expansion, not a completed regulatory change.

What happens next?

The Communications Ministry and MCMC will conduct the study and determine whether, and how, to extend CoPA to the selected economic areas. Operators and infrastructure vendors active in Malaysia should track the study's terms of reference, since its findings will shape the measurement framework they must eventually report against.