This article appeared in Soyacincau on 25 July 2022.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has launched the Ketereh Digital Hub on Saturday which also brings 5G coverage to the Kelantan town located 30 minutes drive away from Kota Bharu. As announced by the Prime Minister, Ketereh is selected as the first location under the rural pilot project for 5G.

The Ketereh Digital Hub is aimed at helping local entrepreneurs to expand their exposure internationally through digital platforms. Developed together with YTL Communications, Shopee and the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (K-KOMM), the hub offers photography and live streaming studios, video editing studios as well as high-speed 5G connectivity.

According to Malaysia Commission and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Chief Regulatory Officer Zulkarnain Mohd Yassin, the 5G service which is a joint initiative between the government, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), Telekom Malaysia Berhad and YTL Communications, would give the community the opportunity to enjoy high-speed internet services. He said 5G is a game changer and will enable the people to adopt smarter and more efficient lifestyle as well as take part in various online activities such as eCommerce, video streaming and make virtual learning and training experiences more interesting. He said the 5G service can deliver speeds of up to 1,000Mbps which is 10 to 100 times faster than 4G. He added that 5G has a low latency rate and is able to connect more than one million devices per square kilometer.

The launch of Ketereh Digital Hub was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali and Communications and Multimedia Minister (MenKOMM) Tan Sri Annuar Musa. Annuar Musa is also the Member of Parliament of Ketereh since 2013. A few weeks ago, Annuar Musa said 1,000 schools throughout Malaysia including rural areas are expected to be covered with 5G by the end of 2022.

From the looks of it, Ketereh is the first location on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia to get 5G coverage. At the moment, DNB’s 5G network is mainly focused in the Klang Valley covering selected areas of Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya. The single wholesale network has also started expanding its coverage in Johor and Penang.

Under DNB’s deployment roadmap, it aims to achieve 40% 5G population coverage by the end of 2022 with a total of 4,018 sites covering Penang, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Perak. It targets to cover 80% of the population with 5G by the end of 2024 with 7,509 sites. Yes 5G remains the first and only telco to offer 5G services in Malaysia.