Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil has asserted that the government will take measures against any mobile network operator (MNO) that enforces extra fees for utilising the 5G network.
Stressing that the entire project’s infrastructure is funded by public resources, he argued that telecommunication companies (telcos) should not impose any additional charges, according to FMT.
Fahmi has directed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate and ensure that MNOs do not levy additional fees for 5G usage. Nevertheless, the minister did not detail the specific actions the government might undertake in response.
He also added that telcos are not ignoring the government’s call for not imposing any 5G fees on the users, according to The Edge Malaysia.
Fahmi said “No, they have not (ignored the government). So, my last conversation with the CEO of CelcomDigi Bhd, for example, he informed me that just before we signed the landmark share subscription agreement (SSA) for DNB (Digital Nasional Bhd), they announced they were repackaging.”
“So, they have announced their own new packages where they have done away with the additional fees. That’s what CelcomDigi told me,” he added.
However, Celcom, Digi, and Maxis websites revealed that all of them continue to impose charges of up to RM20 for existing subscribers, particularly those on plans priced below RM60, to access the 5G network.
