Four Malaysian telecommunications operators have entered bids for the nation’s second 5G network, according to local media reports. The Malaysian government confirmed that the tender closed on July 31, 2024. This follows the issuance of the application information package by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for the second 5G infrastructure.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated that the contenders for deploying this second 5G network include CelcomDigi, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, and U Mobile. The government plans to announce the winning firm by the end of the year. The chosen carrier will receive two blocks of 20 MHz in the 700 MHz band and a 100-MHz block in the 3.5 GHz band.
Upon selection, the winning operator must divest its interest in the state-run 5G entity Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). Other telcos will maintain their active partnership with DNB to continue expanding the current 5G network. Notably, all Malaysian mobile operators now provide 5G services using DNB’s network.
Earlier announcements revealed that four operators—CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, and YTL—completed a share subscription agreement, each acquiring a 16.3% stake in DNB. However, Telekom Malaysia is yet to finalize its SSA, pending shareholder approval.
In May 2023, the government announced plans to transition to a dual 5G network once DNB achieved 80% coverage in populated areas, a milestone reached in December 2023. By April 2024, DNB’s network coverage expanded to 81.5% of the populated areas, with 39.2% adoption rate, totalling 13.2 million 5G subscriptions nationwide.
DNB was founded by the Malaysian government in 2021 to build the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telcos use to deliver 5G services. The deployment of DNB’s 5G network was carried out by Ericsson.
