Malaysian telecommunications company Maxis announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Mobile International (CMI) to collaborate in exploring and developing private 5G applications and solutions for enterprises.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, which was signed at the China Mobile Southeast Asia Cooperation Meeting in Bangkok last week and announced on Friday, Maxis and CMI will work on key initiatives including development of private 5G networks, 5G consulting and applications, smart park solutions, AI advancements and joint research and development projects.
Maxis and CMI will also focus on sharing technical expertise and exploring new market opportunities.
Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng said in a statement that the partnership leverages CMI’s extensive international presence and information services, as well as Maxis’ own experience in fixed and mobile infrastructure and digital solutions, and local enterprise customer base.
“By combining our two companies’ core competencies and technical expertise, we aim to develop market-fit 5G solutions that deeply understand the needs of businesses and industries and showcase 5G’s potential to drive growth and efficiency in Malaysia and beyond,” he said.
The Malaysian government plans to roll out the country’s second 5G network and is working to promote the development of civilian 5G for industrial applications in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and aquaculture.
CMI’s parent company, China Mobile, boasts a sizable private 5G business in the domestic market. In its 2024 mid-year report released earlier this month, China Mobile said its private 5G network revenue in the first half of 2024 reached RMB3.9 billion (US$545.3 million), up 53.7% year-on-year, driven by more than 40,000 5G industry commercial cases, including smart cities, smart factories, smart parks and smart campuses.
China Mobile also announced that the number of consumer mobile subscribers exceeded 1 billion in the same period, of which 51.4% (514 million) were 5G subscribers.
