Malaysia is moving forward with the deployment of 5G networks throughout the country, but the progress has been quite slow and, so far, only one telco company, Yes, is offering commercial 5G services. Yesterday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) released a report on the progress of the Jendela project.
In the report, MCMC said as of 30 September, the 5G network rollout in populated areas has reached 33.2% and they are aiming to reach 37.9% by the end of 2022.
The report also added that out of 3,518 5G sites planned for 2022, a total of 1,915 (54.4%) sites have been finished. 1,070 sites from the finished ones have been activated with 5G coverage in places like Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Johor, and Perak.
It also mentioned the completion of four sites at selected schools in Perlis, Pahang, and Kelantan that were initially scheduled for 2023.
But MCMC said they missed their Q3 target and they only managed to complete 944 (73.2%) sites out of 1,290. This was due to the lengthy process of council permit approval, pending new guidelines from local councils and the high cost of fibre leasing at Sacofa’s existing sites.
To make up for it, the report stated that 993 sites from the 2023 plan sites can potentially be brought forward to 2022 to meet Digital Nasional Berhad’s (DNB) commitment for the year 2022.
Besides that, the report also stated that 95.82% of all populated areas have access to 4G networks and approximately 7.44 million premises have access to fibre broadband as of 30 September 2022. The mobile internet speed has increased to 52.48Mbps (mean) and 30.65Mbps (median).
They are planning to reach 7.5 million premises and 96.9% 4G coverage by the end of this year.
The Star reported that MCMC chief operating officer, Datuk Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus said he foresaw some challenges coming their way due to the monsoon season.
The flood season will be coming. Through our Jendela implementation meetings, we have made plans to expedite the rollout of infrastructure and services to be completed by the middle of December.
MCMC, COO, Datuk Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus
