This article appeared in The Edge Markets on 16 March 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 16): Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) has said it welcomes the government's decision to retain the single wholesale network (SWN) model for the national 5G deployment, while offering telecommunications companies (telcos) to subscribe for equity stakes in DNB.

In a statement on Wednesday (March 16), DNB said that it is pleased with the government's reaffirmation that the "cost-recovery" and "supply-led" SWN model being implemented by DNB is best suited for accelerating deployment of the national 5G network and encouraging its adoption by the public.

"This is consistent with the country's digital economy aspirations and positions Malaysia as an attractive destination for the global investor.

"We look forward to engaging with the telcos to discuss and agree [on] all aspects related to the proposed equity participation in DNB," the statement read.

DNB added that it will work with its stakeholders and telcos to deliver fair, equal, and affordable access to high quality 5G services for the benefit of the public, and aims to achieve 80% coverage of populated areas by 2024.

Meanwhile, DNB highlighted that its ongoing commercial pilot, which commenced on Dec 15, 2021, will be extended to June 30, 2022 from March 31, 2022 to allow telcos to provide 5G experiences for their users by enabling them to access the network without charge.

The commercial pilot was extended to facilitate a seamless transition for telcos that have yet to sign up, DNB said.