COVERAGE of Malaysia’s 5G technology plan has reached 27%, despite initial pushback from local telcos to get on board and amid the sale of the country’s sole 5G network operator.
According to official data revealed in Parliament yesterday, a total of 1,578 5G sites have been developed in the country as of July 11.
“The number of 5G subscribers is estimated to have reached 250,000,” Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa told the Dewan Rakyat.
In a written reply to Rompin MP Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin, Annuar said the Government expects 4,000 5G sites and 36% coverage as part of its 2022 expansion plan.
Areas involved include the Klang Valley and major cities in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, which were not named.
Annuar said the 5G rollout, handled by Government-owned company Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), is starting off in areas with high economic activities first to boost the enterprise and industry sectors.
“Expansion to other areas will be implemented in the following year (2023), with an 80% target of nationwide (5G) coverage by the end of 2024,” Annuar added.
Last November, Reuters reported that none of Malaysia’s major mobile carriers had agreed to Putrajaya’s single-shared 5G network, unveiled earlier in the year.
It reported telcos as hesitating to accept DNB’s proposed pricing plan, under which they would supposedly end up paying more than they would if they rolled out 5G on their own.
Public scrutiny
Since then, calls have been made across the board to review the decision to appoint DNB as the sole 5G network operator, allow a second 5G service to be set up and have a special briefing on the issue in Parliament.
In a move to appease the telcos, the Government eventually offered to sell 70% of DNB to mobile operators. Telcos currently on board include Axiata Group (Celcom), Digi, Maxis, U-MOBILE, Telekom Malaysia and YTL Communications (YES).
The sale is expected to be completed by next month, with the Government to hold the remaining 30% of stakes in DNB through a planned injection of RM500 mil by the Finance Ministry.
Meanwhile, Annuar lauded the existing 5G speeds, citing a June 22 report by mobile analytics company Opensignal that ranked Malaysia at the top of the ladder for global 5G upload speeds (50.3 Mbps).
The Opensignal report also listed the country in second place for the fastest 5G download speed in the world (382.2 Mbps).
“This achievement proves that the 5G network being developed (in Malaysia) is of quality and highly capable,” the Ketereh MP said.
Meanwhile, replying to a supplementary question by Hasan, Annuar said 4G coverage in the country was at 95.7% as of Q1 2022, with an average download speed of 40.13 Mbps. – July 21, 2022
