This article appeared in The Vibes on 4 October 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR – Some 2,119 high-speed 5G broadband sites have been set up by government special purpose vehicle Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) as of August 31 this year.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the 5G rollout nationwide has currently reached 33.2%.

He said the percentage of coverage includes the Klang Valley, and major cities and townships in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, and Sarawak.

“At this point in time, the amount of 5G subscriptions is estimated to exceed 250,000,” he said in a written parliamentary response.

Annuar (Ketereh-Umno) was responding to a question fielded by Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang-PKR) on the government’s “supply-driven” approach of the national 5G rollout initiative.

The minister said the development of the network, which began in September last year, has shown “satisfactory” progress.

Annuar also said ongoing development will see coverage reach 36% of populated areas by the end of 2022.

“The positive development on the implementation of 5G has also given confidence that 80% of coverage will reach populated areas by end 2024,” he said.

Previously, Annuar said consumers would not need to bear high costs to obtain 5G services as the government had taken the matter into account prior to the rollout.

He said the government, through DNB, has ensured that the service was cost-effective to avoid burdening consumers