5G in Malaysia to rollout by Q4 2021 with infrastructure handled by a single special entity

Vyncent Chan
By Vyncent Chan 2 Min Read
5G in Malaysia to rollout by Q4 2021 with infrastructure handled by a single special entity

Previously, the Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Saifuddin Abdullah, assigned the 700MHz spectrum bands to a handful of local telcos, before deciding to withdraw it for transparency’s sake. He then announced that the 5G deployment in Malaysia will be happening much later, towards the end of 2022 or early 2023. Now, it seems that it will be happening as soon as the end of the year.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the commercial rollout of 5G will happen as early as Q4 2021. The rollout will be a part of the new MyDIGITAL initiative. However instead of allocating blocks of the 5G spectrum to telcos, there will be a single special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by the government.

The SPV will have MCMC overseeing it, and all telcos will reportedly have equal access to the 5G infrastructure. Telcos will reportedly be able to save on having to deploy their own 5G infrastructure, which will in turn allow them to offer 5G services at more affordable prices to the people. The government will be looking at a total investment of RM15 billion over a 10-year period to deploy the 5G infrastructure, bringing an estimated 105 000 job opportunities.

Via this single special entity, local telcos can continue focusing on achieving the goals set by JENDELA, which will see 4G coverage expand to 96.9% in populated areas. As 3G networks are set to be shut down in stages, this improved 4G coverage is necessary to ensure that everyone still remain connected.

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Pokdepinion: I sure hope the SPV is competent enough…

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