KUALA LUMPUR, 20 November 2025 – Telekom Malaysia acknowledges that some Malaysians were unable to get through to 999 and experienced slower emergency response in the early phase of the NG MERS 999 migration. We understand the concerns this has created for individuals and families in moments of urgency, and rest assured we are treating every incident with the highest level of priority.

Malaysia upgraded the 17-year-old MERS999 platform because it had reached its technical limits and could no longer support the country’s evolving emergency requirements. NG MERS 999 was introduced to enhance accessibility, strengthen multi-agency coordination, and align Malaysia with modern international emergency standards.

Upon this migration, we saw a surge in call volume immediately. While the previous system averaged around 50,000 calls per day, the new NG MERS 999 received close to 70,000 calls per day. About 5% of the calls were genuine emergencies, with the rest being silent and prank calls. However, the number of actual emergency incidents remained unchanged, ranging at an average of 3,500 emergency reports despatched per day.

This sudden spike affected system performance, and we have taken immediate measures to restore the service including increasing server capacity and optimising the servers’ configuration. Additional resources were also mobilised in the call centre to cope with the high-volume calls.

We would like to emphasise that the 999-voice service remains and continues to operate as the primary channel for emergency assistance. SaveME999 mobile application serves as a complementary channel for reaching emergency services. Users can refer to published FAQ in https://999.gov.my website for installation and registration guide.

TM is committed to ensure better services to the public and the nation. We have taken the proactive role to work with all five (5) emergency agencies (Kementerian Kesihatan, PDRM, BOMBA, Angkatan Pertahanan Awam, and APMM) to resolve the issues and ensure seamless end-to-end emergency services.

We appeal to the members of the public to use the 999 service responsibly, as unnecessary or prank calls can prevent the reach of those who are truly in need of real emergencies. Reducing such misuse will greatly enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of the operations.

TM remains fully committed to safeguarding Malaysia’s national emergency lifeline and we assure the public that it has always been our intent to deliver our best. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these matters and to ensure that every Malaysian can get help quickly and reliably, whether through the 999 voice service or the digital channel.