According to Communications Minister Fahmi Fazil, the current 5G penetration rate in Malaysia is 4.2%.
Malaysia’s Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a local newspaper that Malaysia’s 5G adoption rate remains low despite increasing network penetration. star report.
The official said the current 5G deployment rate in Malaysia is 4.2%, although the 5G network coverage rate has reached 68.8%.
The minister also said the government will ensure that 5G coverage continues to expand and reach 80% in densely populated areas by the end of the year.
He added that the high cost of 5G devices is one of the main reasons for the low penetration rate of 5G services.
Fazil also said the ministry will foster closer ties with local carriers and Korean vendor Samsung to provide affordable 5G devices to Malaysian users.
Fahmi said last month that the ministry would meet with local mobile phone network operators to address reports that carriers were imposing additional fees on 5G subscription fees.
Local telcos Telekom Malaysia, CelcomDigi, YTL Communications, U Mobile and Maxis have all agreed wholesale access deals with national network operator DNB.
DNB was established by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure for use by private telecommunications companies to provide 5G services to their customers.
However, Malaysia’s 5G rollout by DNB had raised concerns over pricing and transparency, as well as concerns that a single national 5G network could lead to a state-run monopoly.
These concerns led current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to previously announce an overhaul of the nationwide 5G network rollout, citing a lack of transparency. In May, the government announced that it will enable the rollout of a second 5G network in 2024, and a new organization will be created to manage Malaysia’s second 5G network. he added.
Malaysia’s Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fazil recently said that DNB will continue to roll out 5G network infrastructure in the country until 80% coverage is achieved by the end of this year. The Malaysian government also confirmed that once DNB achieves its 5G population coverage target, it will be handed over to a private company.
