DNB stated that this initiative seeks to increase the subscription of 5G services amongst Shopee’s sellers
Malaysia’s state-run 5G network Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) and compatriot e-commerce firm Shopee signed a partnership to boost 5G adoption amongst micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Malaysia, through a campaign offering special 5G packages by domestic telcos.
In a release, DNB stated that this initiative seeks to increase the subscription of 5G services amongst Shopee’s sellers to enable them to market their products and services “live” to their customers on the “Shopee Live” platform through high-definition video, greatly improving the customer’s shopping experience.
By signing up with 5G packages, sellers would have access to DNB’s 5G network, the operator said.
YB Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital Malaysia, said: “There are currently over 1.17 million MSME firms in Malaysia, accounting for 97.4% of the total number of businesses in the country. These small businesses contribute 38.4% of the nation’s GDP and employ 7.59 million workers, so it is imperative to ensure that the industry remains competitive and thriving.”
“The Ministry of Digital was set up to drive the government’s vision to increase economic prosperity via digitalization; through collaborative programs with all the players in the ecosystem. Partnerships like this are key to catalyze the digital adoption, and I hope to see more,” the minister added.
“Malaysia’s 5G network now covers 81.5% of populated areas, and as of end-April 2024, Malaysia has recorded 13.2 million 5G service subscriptions, representing an adoption rate of 39.2%,” said Nasution Mohamed, COO of DNB.
“5G technology benefits enterprises of various sizes, including MSMEs. Our 5G network’s performance and reliability provides retail MSME sellers with the mobility to engage their audiences seamlessly, through high-definition video streaming, enhancing their customers’ buying experience,” he added.
DNB was set up by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecommunications firms would use to offer 5G services to their customers. DNB’s 5G network was deployed by Ericsson.
DNB and Swedish vendor Ericsson recently announced the launch of a program to boost the digitalization of enterprises in Malaysia via 5G technology.
Under the terms of a previous agreement, Intel will collaborate on the development of 5G use cases to spur the adoption of the new technology by Malaysia enterprises.
The partners said that the agreement stipulates the piloting of autonomous transport with eMooVit Technology, fleet management with Scania and smart manufacturing with SKF Malaysia.
eMooVit will be providing a range of technologies, including operational technology sensors, camera technology and video analytics application software. The collaboration with Scania will be for the integration of technologies, such as operational technology sensors, fleet management systems and analytics applications. Meanwhile, Ericsson noted that the collaboration with SKF Malaysia will be for the use of 5G to complement fiber and Wi-Fi to enable wireless digitalization on the manufacturing shopfloor with use cases such as data shower analysis, video sensor monitoring and data capture.
The government of Malaysia is working to launch a process for the construction of a second 5G network in the country.