YES Trailblazes 5G Network Accessibility in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, December 15, 2021

• 5G available in certain parts of Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and Kuala Lumpur as of 15th December 2021.

• Telekom Malaysia Berhad and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd are integrated into Digital Nasional Berhad’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN); both companies to allow 5G access to their customers.

• DNB will be offering wholesale 5G services FREE to all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that are integrated into the DNB network. This offer applicable for 5G live sites in certain areas throughout Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur until 31st March 2021.

• Meanwhile, those MNOs that enter into the Wholesale Agreement before 31st March 2022 will receive access to all available capacity as sites go live in the period up to 31st March 2022.

• DNB will provide wholesale 5G services to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) at a significantly lower cost than their present cost to produce 4G capacity. MNOs should therefore be able offer lower prices to their customers for mobile services, which will include 5G services.

• It is expected that MNOs will make available 5G services to all their customers with compatible devices within coverage areas.

Malaysia is 5G ready! Today marks the country’s first steps towards a 5G future, with the latest telecommunications standard now available in certain areas throughout Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and Kuala Lumpur.

Soon, most of Malaysia will have access to 5G coverage, as Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) is committed to an accelerated schedule to roll out 5G coverage to 80% of the population by 2024.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) on behalf of Unifi Mobile and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd on behalf of Yes, will be the first two operators in the country to provide 5G access to their respective customers within the coverage areas.

In an event marking Malaysia’s 5G availability, DNB Chief Executive Officer Ralph Marshall welcomed TM and YTL Communications onto the DNB network.

“We are pleased to welcome both TM and YTL Communications as our very first customers of the 5G network in Malaysia. TM is the country’s oldest telecommunications provider, having introduced telecommunications services nearly 40 years ago in 1984, while YTL Communications is the youngest and only all-4G network provider in Malaysia.

“Together, they have almost 4.5 million subscribers and an average monthly data demand of 40-to-50GB per subscriber.”

YTL Communications Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Wing K. Lee said, “We are excited to be the first in Malaysia to bring 5G to the Rakyat, through our first-to-market 5G plans. The availability of 5G, supported by DNB’s robust ecosystem will accelerate nationwide coverage and adoption of 5G. YTL Communications is committed to bringing a connected tomorrow to reality for all Malaysians.”

TM, YTL are 5G trailblazers

TM and YTL Communications are the first two companies to take advantage of DNB’s offer of free wholesale 5G services to all MNOs that are integrated into the DNB network.

End users with 5G-compatible devices will be able to enjoy an average speed of 100 Mbps. This means a user at the weakest point of 5G coverage would on average receive 100 Mbps on a 5G-compatible device.

Crucially, DNB will provide wholesale 5G services to the MNOs at a significantly lower cost than their present cost to produce 4G capacity. MNOs should therefore be able to offer lower prices to their customers for mobile services, which will include 5G services.

It is hoped that MNOs will make available 5G services to their customers with compatible devices within coverage areas.

Meanwhile, as a provider of wholesale 5G services, DNB will not be competing with the industry in providing 5G retail services to end users. Instead, DNB is complementing efforts by the MNOs with a view to accelerating adoption of 5G in the country. End users are encouraged to contact their respective service providers to enquire about 5G availability.

A regional technology showcase

David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh reaffirmed his company’s commitment to delivering a world-class 5G network to DNB. Ericsson was appointed DNB’s 5G Network Equipment Provider (NEP) in July 2021, after an exhaustive selection process.

“The network is complemented by end-to-end solutions that are able to manage the unique requirements of a single wholesale network, and this has been proven by the ability to integrate six MNOs onto the DNB Multi Operator Core Network – a global first, and a major technological milestone for Malaysia,” Hägerbro said.

He was referring to DNB’s ground-breaking MOCN integration demonstration on 10th November 2021, which successfully integrated five MNOs to the DNB 5G Radio Access Network (RAN).

“The unprecedented MOCN integration clearly demonstrates that Ericsson’s leading 5G network experience and technology will allow DNB to share to share both network infrastructure and valuable spectrum resources with the MNOs, with YTL Communications and TM being the first to offer 5G services to their customers. As we move forward to enable the digital transformation of Malaysia, I would like to thank the government for its efforts and commitment to 5G,” he added.

Adding to that was Nunzio Mirtillo, Ericsson’s Head of Market Area for South East Asia, Oceania and India: “We are bringing our global deployment experience of powering more than 100 live 5G networks across 46 countries, to provide an intelligent, robust, energy-efficient network that meets Malaysia’s unique requirements.

“We will ensure that the DNB network not only becomes a showcase of 5G experience in the region, but also serves as a shining example of what technology innovation can offer.”