This article appeared in Hipz.my on 14 March 2023.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 4,363 5G sites have been developed by Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) nationwide as of February 28, said Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital, Teo Nie Ching.

She explained that with that amount, the availability of 5G network has reached 54.7 percent coverage in populated areas.

“This total percentage includes 5G transmitter sites that have been activated by DNB but are not yet accessible to users because the service provider company is still in the onboarding process.

“(Meanwhile for) 5G sites that can only be accessed by users, the availability of 5G services is at a level of 46.9 percent coverage in populated areas.

“Following the Prime Minister’s announcement during Budget 2023, the expansion of 5G development will continue to reach 80 percent coverage by the end of 2023,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

She said, new 5G services are being offered in Malaysia and for now, service providers are adopting a neutral technology concept, which means there is no difference between 5G and 4G services.

At the same time, she said based on a study by the International Telecommunication Union, the affordable rate of retail packages compared to the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, the price of mobile services in Malaysia is reasonable.

“For example, for the basic package of calls and Short Messaging System (SMS) for low and high usage, Malaysia ranks third in the Asean region after Singapore and Brunei,” said Nie Ching.