U Mobile has announced the appointment of HUAWEI and ZTE as its technology partners for the development and deployment of Malaysia’s second 5G network. The announcement was made during a signing ceremony held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), witnessed by Communications Minister YB Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Li Lecheng, Party Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China.
U Mobile To Begin 5G Network Rollout
Per company’s press release, the “Next Gen 5G” network aims to reach 80% coverage of populated areas within the first 12 months of deployment, with a target of 90% coverage in the following year. U Mobile intends to support the adoption of 5G and 5G-A (5G Advanced) in Malaysia, particularly among enterprise users, through advanced infrastructure and future-ready solutions; it also plans to increase the number of indoor sites to improve in-building coverage.
The decision to collaborate with Huawei and ZTE followed a competitive and transparent tender process initiated in 2024. Both HUAWEI and ZTE were selected based on their “latest technology capabilities and expertise,” and ability to meet the project’s “aggressive” timelines. The current Malaysian government opted to follow a 5G Dual Network model aimed at fostering healthy competition and wider industry participation, with the first national 5G infrastructure already managed by state-owned telecommunications company Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB).
“U Mobile is honored to have received the MADANI government and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) trust in implementing Malaysia’s newest Next Gen 5G network. We believe our Next Gen 5G network that is enterprise-grade will improve Malaysia’s total 5G and 5G-A experience, be it for consumers or enterprises,” said U Mobile’s Chief Technology Officer, Woon Ooi Yuen.
Pokdepinion: Good to diversify the 5G infrastructure to promote competition and maintain redundancy.
