Most telcos in Malaysia are offering 5G services now and 5G-capable phones are also becoming more common. We are progressing well, and although the coverage is still limited, in a few years Malaysians may be able to use 5G nationwide.
Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) released a report yesterday and according to them, Malaysia’s 5G network has achieved almost 50% coverage of populated areas (COPA) and is on track to reach 80% coverage by the end of 2024.
The network currently reaches around 15 million people and when fully deployed, it will reach over 30 million people and businesses. The network has achieved over 90% coverage in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Selangor and around 50% coverage in Johor, Malacca, and Negeri Sembilan.
The other states in Malaysia are in various stages of deployment and are expected to achieve full network deployment in 2024 or earlier. The mobile network operator (MNO) partners and device manufacturers are working to promote and encourage the adoption of 5G nationwide in 2023, and have introduced several attractive data plans to encourage the use of 5G services.
There are already around 8 million 5G-compatible devices in use by the end of 2022, and this number is expected to double in 2023. By 2030, it is predicted that there will be over 40 million 5G devices in use.
Since the launch of 5G services by five MNOs in Malaysia, the 5G network has seen an 8-fold increase in usage, going from 32TB to 253TB per day. As of 31 December 2022, the network had a peak of around 90,000 concurrent users. The average download speed for the 5G network is 380 Mbps, which is significantly faster than the average 4G download speed of 35 Mbps.
