When comparing 4G Availability across operators in Malaysia, the differences are minor. At a country level, the average 4G Availability increased from 86.7% in Q1 2021 to 92.3% in Q1 2022. This was predominantly driven by two factors: increased availability of networks and devices.
Operators across Malaysia continue to roll out 4G to adhere to Jendela roll out targets. According to Jendela’s Q1 2022 report, the four main mobile broadband service providers have collectively achieved their Q1 2022 target by building 60 new 4G towers. Celcom beat targets by 25%, while Digi met 94% of its target as it encountered permit approval issues with the Sabah Local Council. 4G population coverage was also on track, increasing to 95.5% in Q1 2022, and is on a good path to achieving its 96.9% populated area coverage target by the end 2022.
In addition to setting up targets related to 4G network deployments to free up more spectrum for 4G, the Malaysian government expected to retire 3G spectrum at the end of 2021 but is yet to be completed. According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), 20% of 3G sites still remained operational at the deadline. Flooding and the monsoon season are cited as the reasons for the delay in retiring 3G sites. Almost all 3G carriers will have completed shutdown by Q2 2022, except a few sites located in remote areas, which are set to be shut down in December 2022.
In terms of end user migration, 86.6% of 3G customers in Malaysia have already moved to 4G while the rest do “not see the need for the switch over.” The remaining users will be able to use their existing devices even after the network shutdown, but they will be connected to 2G, which will only serve their basic connectivity needs (SMS and voice calls).
OOKLA compared 4G performance in Q1 2022 across Malaysian operators using Speedtest Intelligence. Digi came first with a 28.08 Mbps median download speed. The operator reported that most of its RM 815 million capital expenditure in 2021 was spent to improve its 4G network to respond to increased data consumption (more than 20GB per user, up 8.9% versus 2020) and deliver on the Jendela commitments. U Mobile and Celcom were head to head in terms of median 4G download speeds at 20.09 Mbps and 20.02 Mbps, respectively.
The largest operator by a number of subscribers — Maxis — came first when it comes to upload speeds, with a median upload speed of 10.59 Mbps, a 12% year-over-year increase. The operator invested RM 1.2 billion in capex in 2021, with RM 597 million in Q4 2021 alone, the highest in a single quarter.
Putrajaya leads 4G Availability performance for Malaysia’s regions
OOKLA explored 4G Availability in Malaysia’s 13 states and 3 federal territories using Speedtest data from Q1 2022. It is important to note that 4G Availability is not a direct reflection of 4G coverage. Instead, this is a reflection of the network technology, e.g. 4G users spend the majority of their time connected to. Putrajaya had the highest 4G Availability with 96.4% of tested locations showing access to 4G during Q1 2022, while the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur had the lowest 4G Availability at 87.2%. Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang witnessed over 10% increases in 4G Availability between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022.
Looking at the operators’ 4G Availability during Q1 2022 across different geographic areas, 4G Availability didn’t statistically differ in most cases. However, there were a few exceptions: Maxis won in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Selangor, while U Mobile had the highest availability in Johor. Maxis has also committed to expanding its coverage in Sabah and Sarawak as stated by the Chief Network Officer.
by Sylwia Kechiche, Currently Principal Industry Analyst, Enterprise at Ookla. Previously Principal Analyst, IoT and Enterprise at GSMA Intelligence, where she was responsible for the development of IoT & Enterprise product, including market sizing, custom consulting, survey work and report writing.
