Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his administration will review the 5G plans because it was not developed in a transparent manner. Currently, Ericsson is the sole company responsible for the 5G implementation here.
Earlier this month, there were rumours that Huawei is trying to get their hands on Malaysia’s 5G project. According to Financial Times’s source, Huawei is trying a mix of “soft power and outright lobbying to try to get the adoption of their systems somewhere in the rollout.” But Fahmi Fadzil, the Communications and Digital Minister is not entertaining any lobbying.
Malay Mail reports that Fahmi stated that he is not willing to consider any attempts to influence Malaysia’s implementation of 5G through news media. During a session in Parliament, he made it clear that he and his team would not be influenced by any statements conveyed through either local or international media outlets.
He emphasised that the government would conduct evaluations, discussions, and research independently, without being influenced by lobbying efforts. Even if news articles or opinion pieces were presented, he would not read them.
This announcement was made in response to a question posed by Chong Zhemin, DAP’s Kampar MP, who asked about any possible financial implications of reviewing the implementation. Chong was referring to Huawei, who is allegedly attempting to lobby for a role in Malaysia’s 5G implementation.
