According to local press in Malaysia, the government said that no less than 85% of rural areas will have 5G coverage by the end of next year
The government of Malaysia aims to ensure at least half of rural areas in the country have access to 5G coverage by mid-2024, local press reported. Deputy prime minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said the government will guarantee that no less than 85% of rural areas obtain 5G coverage by the end of next year.
“The remaining 15% might be mountainous areas and so on that may be quite difficult to reach. We are carrying out this coordination because we feel that rural folks deserve it also. We don’t want when trying to get access to the internet, they have to climb up trees to get coverage. So, this must be avoided… although difficult, we can do it,” the official said.
Last month, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) — Malaysia’s sole wholesale 5G network operator — said its 5G network coverage had reached 68.8% of populated areas in the country, adding that it was on track to achieve 80% coverage by the beginning of next year.
DNB was set up by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecommunications firms would use to offer 5G services to their customers. DNB partnered with Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson to roll out Malaysia’s 5G network.
Local operators are currently providing 5G services across Malaysia via DNB’s 5G network infrastructure.
However, Malaysia’s 5G roll-out by DNB had raised concerns over pricing and transparency, as well as worries that a single state-run 5G network would result in a nationalized monopoly. Due to these concerns, the new Malaysian government decided to review the rollout of the national 5G network.
In May, the Malaysian government confirmed it would allow the deployment of a second 5G network in the country with the aim of breaking a current monopoly held by a single state-run network. The government also noted that this new scheme would probably open the door for Chinese vendor Huawei to take part in 5G network rollouts.
Malaysia’s Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil previously said that DNB will continue to roll out 5G network infrastructure in the country until 80% coverage is achieved by the end of 2023. The Malaysian government also confirmed that DNB will be taken over by a private entity once it achieves its 5G population coverage target.
