Celcom Axiata Berhad (Celcom’s) total network and infrastructure is ready to commence on the 5G deployment.
Speaking to BusinessToday recently, Celcom Axiata Berhad Chief Operations Officer & Chief Enterprise Business Officer Afizulazha Abdullah (pic) said Celcom’s network is ready to roll out its 5G services.
“Celcom’s network and infrastructure is ready to move into the next phase of telecommunications which is 5G. Testing, to a large extent within our network, has been done and it will move ahead efficiently.
“We are waiting for the commercials (agreements) to be completed. We expect this to be done very soon.”
Afizulazha added, Celcom has certain applications already up and running on the 5G spectrum with no issues, he added.
What is 5G?
5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks. It’s reportedly up to 100 times faster than 4G, 5G is creating never-before-seen opportunities for people and businesses.
Faster connectivity speeds, ultra-low latency and greater bandwidth is advancing societies, transforming industries and dramatically enhancing day-to-day experiences. Services that we used to see as futuristic, such as e-health, connected vehicles and traffic systems and advanced mobile cloud gaming have arrived.
With 5G technology, we can help create a smarter, safer and more sustainable future.
Implementation of 5G in Malaysia
Malaysia’s six main mobile network operators have reportedly agreed to take up equity stakes in a state-controlled 5G single wholesale network run by Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB).
Based on news reports, the six operators have until the end of August to agree and finalise terms.
The six operators – Celcom Axiata, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, U Mobile, YTL Communications and DiGi – companies have been sceptical about the proposals for a single 5G network.
To recap, DNB is Malaysia’s Single Wholesale Network (SWN) and it is mandated to rollout a national 5G network. It is the only entity that’s allocated the 700MHz, 3.5GHz and 26/28GHz spectrum for 5G use and other telcos are prohibited to build their own network.
For its part, the Digital National Berhad was established in March last year to speed up deployment of 5G infrastructure and will offer 5G as a wholesale network to the network carriers. DNB is a special-purpose vehicle company currently owned by the Ministry of Finance Malaysia.
The clouds have finally cleared for Malaysia’s much-delayed 5G rollout, with the six leading telcos agreeing on terms to invest in the government-backed 5G wholesaler DNB.
All six operators have been offered a combined 70 percent stake in DNB, with this figure dependent on all six agreeing to the terms by August 31.
This comes after Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said that the telcos have until August 31 to finalise the agreements to acquire stakes in the government-owned DNB, or risk missing out on reaping maximum benefits from the nation’s 5G SWN.
Industry sources say if all six major local mobile network operators (MNOs) execute the agreements by Aug 31, then the rollout of 5G as early as mid-September would be on the horizon.
