U Mobile said its 5G rollout is targeting 80% population coverage by the second half of 2026
In sum – what to know:
Three-year wholesale agreement – U Mobile will provide 5G MOCN services to Telekom Malaysia, covering provisioning, integration, and optimization.
80% population coverage target – U Mobile aims to reach 80% population coverage by the second half of 2026 as rollout progresses.
Supports dual network model – The contract reflects Malaysia’s policy of fostering infrastructure competition in 5G.
Malaysian telco U Mobile has signed a three-year 5G wholesale agreement with rival operator Telekom Malaysia (TM), following what the companies described as a structured evaluation process.
Under the contract, U Mobile will provide 5G multi-operator core network (MOCN) services to TM, covering provisioning, system integration, activation, testing, and ongoing optimization. The agreement will enable TM to use U Mobile’s 5G infrastructure to deliver services to its customers.
U Mobile said its 5G rollout is targeting 80% population coverage by the second half of 2026 and is currently progressing ahead of schedule.
U Mobile’s CEO, Wong Heang Tuck, said: “We are grateful to the Government for appointing us as Malaysia’s newest 5G network provider and for the opportunity to realize the intent of a dual network landscape. We look forward to working closely with TM to accelerate 5G adoption and create long-term value for the industry and the nation.”
The carrier had launched 5G services in Malaysia last year. In November 2024, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) gave the approval to deploy the second 5G network to U Mobile, the third-largest operator in the country.
In May 2023, Malaysian authorities had said that the country would shift to a dual 5G network once state-run 5G network Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) achieved 80% coverage in populated areas, something that occurred in December 2023.
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 are currently using to offer 5G services to their customers. DNB’s 5G network was deployed by Ericsson.
U Mobile recently said it aims to support the country’s digitalization efforts through its neutral enterprise innovation platform (EIP), designed to bring enterprises and technology providers together to develop and test 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and AI-related use cases.
