Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), Malaysia’s sole 5G wholesale service operator has successfully integrated five mobile network operators (MNOs) into its 5G network as of November 2021. The five MNOs were Celcom Axiata Bhd, Digi.Com Bhd, Maxis Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and U Mobile Bhd. A sixth MNO is slated to be integrated at a later date.
DNB is a special purpose company (SPC) set up by the Ministry of Finance to roll out 5G network in the country, and is working with Ericsson’s local subsidiary Ericsson (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to design and build the national 5G network at a total cost of MYR 11 billion (USD 2.63 billion). According to DNB, the integration of the MNOs is the world’s first 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) trial integration involving more than two MNOs. It is planning to expand the integration to 12 MNOs in 2022.
The 5G network’s rollout will allow consumers to experience peak data rates of up to 100 times faster than 4G and 1,000 times more connections with a supported near-zero latency, referring to close to no delay in sending and receiving information between devices. The rollout is currently on track for launch in major cities including Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Cyberjaya. The country expects to have 80% of the population with access to 5G coverage by 2024.
(Sources: The Edge Markets; Digital Nasional)
