This article appeared in Malay Mail on 7 November 2023.

PUTRAJAYA, 7 Nov (Malay Mail) -- The 5G network coverage in Malaysia has now reached 73 per cent of populated areas, says Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said that based on feedback from Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), the government was on the right track of achieving the 80 per cent coverage target by the end of the year.

With only seven per cent remaining to reach the target, Fahmi said, however, there were several issues raised by DNB, among them being land-related issues, which needed to be coordinated with the local authorities.

Fahmi said he had informed Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din to hold a meeting with relevant parties to resolve the pending issues.

“This is so that all parties understand that 5G is a national initiative and a joint effort to accelerate progress and development in the country,” he told reporters after his ministry’s monthly assembly here, today.

DNB was established in 2021 to carry out its mission and vision in line with the Malaysian Digital Economy Action Plan (MyDigital), including accelerating the implementation of 5G infrastructure and networks as well as realising the potential of 5G in Malaysia to drive economic activity.

Fahmi said that as of September 2023, the adoption rate of 5G in Malaysia was 9.1 per cent, which had increased from 7.4 per cent previously.

He said the true potential of 5G could also be realised if micro, small and medium enterprises better understood its concept.

“We have to make sure that the government’s effort to create this data highway is utilised as best as possible not only by large companies but also by mid-sized ones,” he said.

Commenting further on the adoption of 5G, Fahmi said he had visited a DHL warehouse centre that used 5G for robotics and drone services, and among the responses received was that the company could count almost 8,000 pellets per day using 5G technology compared to 1,000 pellets per day if counted manually. — Bernama