DNB said its 5G network ended last year with a total of 3,900 sites across the country
Malaysian company Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) announced that its 5G network has achieved almost 50% coverage of populated areas with some 3,900 sites at the end of 2022.
In a statement, the telco said it has exceeded its 5G coverage target of 40% for the full-year 2022.
Digital Nasional Berhad is a special-purpose vehicle set up by the Malaysian government with the main goal of deploying and managing Malaysia’s 5G network.
DNB said it is now focused on delivering the committed target of 80% of the country’s populated areas by the end of 2024. The company’s 5G network currently reaches some 15 million people and will reach 30 million once fully deployed.
DNB has achieved more than 90% of population coverage with its 5G network throughout Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and Selangor as well as about 50% in Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. The 5G network currently enables an average downland speed of 380 Mbps, compared with a 35 Mbps rate for 4G.
Nasution Mohamed, COO of DNB, said: “Having exceeded our 2022 network coverage target, we are working closely with both our Mobile Network Operator (MNO) partners and device manufacturers to promote and encourage the rapid adoption of 5G nationwide in 2023. The MNOs have introduced numerous 5G data plans for their customers at very attractive retail prices, so as to encourage adoption of 5G services.”
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Local carriers Celcom Axiata, Digi Telecommunications, Telekom Malaysia, U Mobile and YTL Communications are already offering retail 5G services available to their subscribers, following the signing of their respective 5G access agreements with DNB in October last year.
Meanwhile, Maxis customers are still unable to access retail 5G services pending their shareholders’ approval to execute the 5G access agreement with DNB, which Maxis has indicated it plans to seek in January this year, DNB said.
Swedish vendor Ericsson is in charge of the deployment of Malaysian national 5G network. Ericsson recently announced that DNB had selected the vendor’s new energy-saving radios.
Last month, Malaysia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that his administration will review a plan under which the previous government decided to move forward with the creation of a state-owned 5G network. The new prime minister said that these plans will be revised due to the lack of transparency.
Last year, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had unveiled an initiative for a state-owned vehicle to own all 5G spectrum, with various carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services across Malaysia in what would effectively be a wholesale/MVNO arrangement.
Following the announcement of this plan, the country’s telcos had raised concerns about a single state company owing all spectrum frequencies.
The new Prime Minister said in a press conference that the government will evaluate the 5G plans to ensure that they had fulfilled with all the required procedures.