In a recent announcement, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed plans for the establishment of a dual 5G network in the country, underlining the potential for more effective participation by China’s tech giant, Huawei. This strategic move is intended to strike a balance between Western and Eastern technology offerings.
The Malaysian government had initially expressed its intent to introduce a second 5G network in May, aiming to break the monopoly held by a state-run network. Despite concerns voiced by some Western nations urging Malaysia to adhere to its original plan, the decision was upheld.
Both the European Union and the United States had previously cautioned Malaysia about potential risks to national security and foreign investment regarding Huawei’s involvement in the nation’s telecoms infrastructure, as reported by The Financial Times in May.
Addressing the concerns surrounding security and capacity associated with Chinese technology, Anwar Ibrahim stated, “We in Malaysia… and I believe rightly, decided that while we get the best from the West, we also should benefit the best from the East.” He emphasized the decision to allow a dual 5G network, enabling Malaysia to reap the benefits of diverse technological advancements.
Speaking at an event hosted by Huawei in Kuala Lumpur, the Prime Minister expressed his government’s stance on the matter and the reasoning behind the choice for a dual network, aiming to enhance participation by Huawei.
Malaysia had initially proposed a plan in 2021 for a state-owned agency, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), to own the full 5G spectrum, with various carriers utilizing the infrastructure to deliver mobile services. However, the plan faced industry criticism concerning pricing and competition.
State-run DNB had previously collaborated with Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson to deploy Malaysia’s 5G network. The implications of the introduction of a second network on DNB’s partnership with Ericsson and other mobile operators remain uncertain, awaiting further clarity on the matter, Reuters news report said.
Ericsson recently said it has successfully carried out tests on Malaysia’s 5G network deployed by DNB for the first implementation and validation in Southeast Asia of Ericsson’s pre-commercial Reduced Capability (RedCap) software. The tests were carried out in collaboration with MediaTek, using its 5G RedCap test platform in Malaysia.
Ericsson RedCap is a new radio access network (RAN) software solution that enhances existing 5G use cases and enables new ones for devices such as smartwatches, other wearables, and industrial sensors by lowering complexity and extending battery life.
RedCap is the next evolution of 5G technology that complements the industry progress of cellular IoT technologies with benefits that include reduced device chipset cost, lower complexity and less power consumption while delivering higher data rates comparable to LTE Cat-1 to LTE Cat-4. It can also support advanced Standalone 5G NR functionalities such as enhanced positioning and network slicing.
