Malaysia launched its nationwide 5G network less than two years ago, adopting a distinctive 5G deployment approach. Ookla in its report indicated that the country’s 5G performance has been impressive, ranking as one of the top performers globally.
The report shows Malaysia’s overall mobile speed performance has steadily increased since the introduction of 5G at the end of 2021. In September 2023, the country’s median download speed was 61.50 Mbps, 2.9 times faster than its pre-5G speeds in September 2021. This led to a 45-place climb on the Speedtest Global Index, from 86th place in September 2021 to 41st place in September 2023 after 5G had been deployed in Malaysia.
The country also ranks third globally for 5G download speed, with a reported speed of 485.25 Mbps, according to Speedtest Intelligence data for Q3 2023. This puts Malaysia not only ahead of its Southeast Asian neighbors but also some developed markets, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.
Over 55% of all nationwide tests were conducted on 5G-capable devices in Q3 2023. However, only 25.1% of those tests were conducted on a 5G network. Operators with a lower subscriber base in the country reported a better percentage of Speedtests conducted on Malaysia’s 5G network.
Median download speeds on 4G have increased from 24.04 Mbps to 36.95 Mbps from Q3 2022 to Q3 2023. 5G network offers much stronger performance than 4G, with 5G providing thirteen times faster download speeds and five times faster upload speeds than 4G.
In 2021, the government of Malaysia established Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), responsible for rolling out a nationwide single wholesale network (SWN) to deliver 5G coverage. According to DNB, the 5G SWN model aimed to centralise infrastructure rollout, promoting efficient resource use, cost savings, and equitable 5G access across urban and rural landscapes.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) assigned 5G spectrum to DNB in the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26-28 GHz bands. DNB is currently utilizing 3.5 GHz spectrum across selected deployment areas. As discussed in our recent spectrum analysis, the upper mid-band (otherwise known as C-band) offers the best of both worlds in terms of coverage and capacity, which is important for DNB as they aim to reach 80% of populated areas by 2024. As of the end of September 2023, DNB has achieved 70.2% coverage of populated areas (COPA), with more than 5,800 sites deployed.
Yes was the first operator to enter into the Access Agreement with DNB and launch 5G services in Malaysia in Q4 2021. Following Yes, other operators such as Celcom, Digi, Unifi (Telekom Malaysia), and U Mobile launched their 5G services in early November 2022. In August 2023, Maxis became the latest operator to launch 5G services in Malaysia.
5G helped Malaysia climb 45 places in Speedtest’s mobile rankings. Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data reveals that Malaysia has experienced a noteworthy increase in mobile median download speeds for all technologies since the launch of Malaysia’s first 5G network. In September 2023, Malaysia’s median mobile download speed increased to 61.50 Mbps, 2.9 times faster than the country’s 21.27 Mbps median download speed recorded in September 2021, before the launch of 5G in the country. As a result, Malaysia has improved its position on the Speedtest Global Index, climbing 45 places from 86th in September 2021 to 41st in September 2023. This development places Malaysia ahead of some of its Southeast Asia neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as some developed markets, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.
In the recent report discussing 5G in the Asia Pacific region, Ookla discussed how the region is on track to become the largest 5G market globally, with some markets in the region outpacing major European markets in terms of 5G performance. Comparing global 5G performance, Malaysia has emerged as one of the top performers in 5G connectivity. According to Speedtest Intelligence data in Q3 2023, Malaysia ranked third globally for 5G download speed, with a reported speed of 485.25 Mbps. This puts Malaysia ahead of its Southeast Asian neighbors, such as Singapore (338.36 Mbps), Thailand (141.65 Mbps), and the Philippines (124.58 Mbps).
