Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) notes a recent article dated 11 February 2022 which appeared on the tech and lifestyle news portal, Amanz.my. The headline “DNB Membuang Samsung Daripada Peranti 5G Yang Disokong, Mengurangkan Kelajuan Purata 5G” states that DNB removed Samsung 5G devices from the DNB website.  

DNB welcomes all brands and seeks to catalyse an active devices ecosystem for Malaysia’s 5G network. This entails having a wide range of 5G devices to be inclusive and cater to all budgets – from entry-level smartphones to flagship models. To this end, please note that the availability of 5G devices in Malaysia falls within the purview of the respective device manufacturers.  

To clarify, when the 5G network was first made available on 15th December 2021, certain 5G devices were found to have VoLTE voice call-related issues. The issues were escalated to the relevant brand. They are in the midst of developing the necessary firmware updates which are scheduled to be completed by the end of Q1-2022. 

It should also be noted that DNB does not “certify” nor “approve” 5G devices. We provide facilities for the manufacturers to conduct tests such as initial static tests, as well as a test route to conduct their on-the-road drive tests so their devices can be configured, and firmware updated to be compatible with the 5G network.  

Meanwhile, device certification is led by SIRIM – with guidance from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) – as is standard procedure.  

As for the average 5G speed referenced in the article, DNB is committed to delivering an average download speed of 100Mbps. The figure that appears on the DNB website (583.27Mbps at the time of this statement) is regularly updated to keep users informed. As traffic on the network increases over time, download speeds will gradually taper off, eventually stabilising at DNB’s commitment of 100Mbps.   

Connection speeds are influenced by several factors. This includes – but is not limited to – the type of device, proximity of the device to the test server, and even the web browser used to test connection speeds. As a general rule, the closer the test server is to your device, the faster the speed test.  

Please refer to the 5G Devices FAQs for more information.