Fahmi: We can learn a lot from them on improving connectivity
BEIJING: Malaysia is attracted by the success of 5G implementation in China, which currently covers over 90% of populated areas and has led to improved connectivity, especially in rural areas.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil (pic) said this is especially so with the country implementing a dual network model of 5G high-speed Internet to provide quality and inclusive telecommunications services to the people.
This was among the matters discussed by Fahmi at a bilateral meeting with China’s Industry and Information Technology Minister Jin Zhuanlong here on Thursday.“During the meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss various topics, including the implementation status of the 5G network in China and Malaysia, the challenges encountered and key improvements or insights we can learn from each other.
“One of the main challenges we face in Malaysia, particularly in the remote, rural, island and hilly areas, is where fibre installation as a backhaul solution poses significant difficulties,” he told Bernama after the meeting.
Fahmi said the discussion also touched on “direct-to-cell” technology involving low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which are seen as a potential solution to address Internet problems in remote areas and regions without Internet connection.
According to data from China’s Industry and Information Technology Ministry, the number of 5G base stations in the nation exceeded 4.04 million as of August.The figure accounts for 32.1% of the total number of mobile base stations across China, with the number of 5G mobile subscribers reaching 966 million nationwide.In Malaysia, a total of 7,191 5G sites have been developed across the country with 564 in Sabah and 551 in Sarawak, while the coverage level is now 81.9% in populated areas.
Fahmi said that during the meeting, they also discussed the 5G innovation challenge, which saw vendors as providers of equipment facilities for 5G in adapting and producing innovation.“This is interesting and I request MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) to conduct more in-depth talks, including on matters such as the use of submarine cables,” he added.
Fahmi said he hoped that the meeting could strengthen the relationship between the two ministries, thereby helping agencies such as MCMC to obtain useful input in the implementation of the 5G network.
This was the second meeting between the two leaders. The first was in Putrajaya in June last year.
TM launches first-phase 5G services for unifi customers
KUALA LUMPUR:Telekom Malaysia Bhd TM) launched the first-phase of its 5G services, which includes unlimited data for existing unifi mobile postpaid customers as well as new postpaid and prepaid customers.
TM group chief executive officer Imri Mokhtar said the 5G service would reinforce the company’s leadership in fixed-mobile services for consumer and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) segments, strengthening its mobile capabilities to provide the widest and fastest all-in-one solution.
“With 5G currently covering more than 33% of populated areas throughout Malaysia, this first phase is key to growing TM’s reach and presents the opportunity for a new push in unifi’s convergence play, riding on its strength of three million households and close to 400,000 MSME customers,” he said in a statement yesterday.
In addition, TM will continue to modernise the country’s fibre network architecture, integrating automation and virtualisation technologies to boost back-end infrastructures that will support the anticipated demand for 5G.
TM recently launched its 5G Sphere, an ecosystem of leading technology and smart solution partners that will accelerate the co-creation of innovative 5G use cases, taking enterprise 5G transformation from ideation to realisation. To date, there are 39 partners in the programme.
TM said its nation-building efforts with the government will also speed up the availability of smart cities, smart industries and 5G-enabled applications, creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital society and economy. — Bernama
5G services to 12 million hand-phone user by year-end
PETALING JAYA: Some 12 million Malaysians will begin to have access to the fifth-generation (5G) mobile services by the end of this year, says caretaker Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
The announcement by Annuar comes after five out of six telcos had met the Oct 31 deadline to ink the reference access offer (RAO)with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) for the implementation of the country’s 5G network.
“Before the companies could offer their services to the public, they had to sign the access agreement before the Oct 31 deadline.
“The agreement was signed to enable the companies to fix the bundle or retail prices from DNB and subsequent price offers to the public,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
He said that among the telcos that had met the deadline were Celcom Axiata Bhd, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and U Mobile Sdn Bhd.
He clarified that there was some confusion among mobile phone users as to the eventual rollout of 5G services in the country.
“Many complain why talk about 5G when they can’t even get the 4G or 5G services yet.
“There was confusion as the earlier mention of 5G was done generally and this referred to the development of the infrastructure where the rollout of services had yet to begin,” he said.
With the conclusion of the RAO, Annuar said that the telcos are expected to begin offering their 5G services by the end of this year to some 12 million handphone users in the country.
He noted that only those using mobile phones with 5G capabilities will be able to access the service.
Malaysia’s 5G network is being rolled out by DNB, with the five telcos taking a stake in the former and by inking access agreements with it.
The telcos are then to compete by using the same infrastructure to roll out their 5G-related services.
Currently, 5G access is available in the Klang Valley, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Kelantan.
By MARTIN CARVALHO mart3@thestar.com.my
5G door still open to Maxis
Malaysia’s largest mobile network operator (MNO), Maxis Bhd,
will not be able to roll out 5G services to its over nine million mobile subscribers until the company signs a network access agreement
with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB)
While the deadline to sign the access agreement expired on Oct 30, DNB chief operating officer Nasution Mohamed told StarBiz that Maxis still had the chance to ink the agreement “anytime” in the future.
“But its capacity commitment will be at a premium to those that had concluded on Oct 30.
“Maxis will have to commit to greater capacity off-take over the next 10 years, not necessarily having to pay more,” he said.
Nasution explained that Maxis had expressed its interest to be part of the country’s 5G journey via the single wholesale network (SWN) model.
“I believe it is sorting out some matters internally. Once it is settled, it can sign the access agreement,” he said.
In a statement issued late evening yesterday, Maxis said it was still assessing the governance requirements for the 5G access agreement.
“Maxis is committed to bringing this to a close as soon as possible.
“Meanwhile, the company has already been developing multi-industry use cases and forging partnerships with major players for 5G services and solutions,” it said.
The country’s 5G infrastructure is being rolled out by DNB under the SWN model. Telecommunication companies (telcos) that have signed the access agreement can tap onto the DNB-owned 5G infrastructure and spectrum by paying a wholesale price.
The telcos will then transfer the 5G access to end-users, alongside their other value-added offerings, at a marked-up pricing.
Excluding Maxis, the remaining five MNOs have executed the network access agreement for a 10-year period, confirmed Nasution.
The MNOs are Axiata Group Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, Digi.com Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YES).
The signing of the access agreements comes after Axiata, Digi, TM and YES agreed to take up a collective 65% stake in DNB this month.
The government will retain the remaining 35% stake and hold a golden share.
U Mobile and Maxis have declined to take up equity in DNB.
The access agreements were finally executed after multiple rounds of delays previously.
However, this does not mean the MNOs will immediately be able to roll out 5G services nationwide.
With DNB expecting to reach 37.9% 5G population coverage by the end of 2022, compared to the initial target of 40%, most areas in Malaysia do not have access to 5G infrastructure yet.
Currently, 5G access is available in the Klang Valley, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Kelantan.
YES was the first MNO in Malaysia to roll out 5G services from Dec 15, 2021.
This was followed by TM, which is rolling out 5G services effective yesterday via unifi Mobile.
Meanwhile, Axiata’s Celcom and U Mobile announced that their 5G services will be commercially available to customers from Nov 1 and Nov 3, respectively.
As for Digi, the commercial roll-out date is not known yet.
In a stock exchange filing yesterday, TM said the provisioning of 5G services would enhance TM’s position as the preferred partner in accelerating the adoption of fixed-mobile convergence via 5G and fixed broadband solutions.
The telco has about 2.9 million fixed broadband subscribers as of the first half of 2022.
U Mobile chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck said in a statement that the company is supportive of the government’s vision of a SWN model for 5G deployment, whereby all operators will have access to the same network without differentiation in terms of speed and quality.
“Hence, we are delighted to have signed the 5G access agreement and be part of this network.
“We have full faith that DNB will honour the mandate of providing quality 5G coverage and capacity on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis,” he said.
U Mobile has launched a line of 5G-ready postpaid plans, namely U Postpaid 38, U Postpaid 68 and U Postpaid 98.
Axiata told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Celcom Networks Sdn Bhd, has entered into an access agreement with DNB to allow Celcom wholesale access to DNB’s 5G network.
“Under the agreement, there is no charge to be incurred in 2022.
“The DNB Reference Access Offer (RAO) published on the DNB website sets out the salient terms and conditions subject to which network facilities and network services will be provided by DNB to Celcom.
“The RAO may be updated or replaced from time to time in which case the agreement will be governed by and incorporate the terms and conditions of the RAO published on the DNB website,” it said in a filing.
Meanwhile, Digi said its unit, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (DigiTel), has on Oct 30 executed an access agreement with DNB.
Via the agreement, DigiTel will also have the option to purchase future 5G wholesale services to be rolled out by DNB, to develop innovative 5G enterprise and value-added services to serve customer needs.
“The board, having considered the access agreement, is of the opinion that the access agreement is in the best interest of the company,” it said.
While Malaysia strives to move into the 5G era, the current 4G mobile network connectivity is still found wanting in many areas in the country, including the Klang Valley.
Mobile users in areas such as Taman TAR in Ampang, Jalan Damai Jasa in Alam Damai, Cheras Hartamas and certain areas in Subang, Selangor, face connectivity issues.
Wong Sew Kin, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University, said there are areas within the Klang Valley that face a drop in network signals.
“Even places near my house in Bukit Beruntung, Rawang, have no signal at all let alone the internet,” he said, adding that more needs to be done for telecommunications infrastructure in Malaysia if it is to be on par with nations such as Singapore and China.
“We are venturing into 5G now but there are still problems with connectivity. We should address this to solidify our mobile network infrastructure so that we are able to make quick and steady advancement without having to worry about minor issues. It is important that we iron out the kinks.”
He added the lack of network signals can be attributed to the lack of base stations, or simply known as telco towers, in certain areas.
“As far as I know, the building of base stations has nothing to do with the government as it’s usually up to the telcos and they prioritise providing network connectivity in highly populated and commercial areas.
“However, the government can play its part by providing incentives for telcos to set up more base stations to ensure that we are fully connected,” he said.
Anusha Ravi, a resident of Alam Damai in Kuala Lumpur, told theSun she often has to direct her e-hailing drivers through the phone to her residence as the drivers are unable to use navigation apps due to the poor network signal.
A resident of Taman Billion in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, said he has faced poor network coverage for years despite being close to commercial areas.
“I have complained about this many times but nothing has been done,” he said, adding that he has to walk some distance away from his house just to make a call.
However, another expert who declined to be named, specialising in base station construction and installation, said the government is already doing all it can to ensure connectivity.
“The government, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s Universal Service Provision fund, provides contractors and telcos opportunities to develop network infrastructure and connectivity in under-served areas, especially rural places.
“To my knowledge, sometimes we face issues such as a drop in network signals due to lack of base stations within a certain range. Sometimes there is no land to build base stations in between.”
Telcos sometimes face problems when planning to build base stations due to protests by residents in the area.
For instance, residents in Taman Sri Puteri, Bayan Lepas in Penang, successfully lobbied for the removal of telco towers in their area recently.
Among their reasons was that the towers were too close to their homes and thus were a health hazard.
Tutela, an independent crowdsourced data company, noted in its “State of mobile Networks 2019: Southeast Asia” report last year that Thailand beat Malaysia in a test where a mobile connection was good enough for basic internet usage.
The Philippines and Indonesia came out third and fourth.
“All four countries in the report are relatively close when it comes to basic quality. Thailand takes first place, with users able to make a voice over internet protocol call – a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband internet connection or check emails at least 92.5% of the time when connected to one of the country’s networks.”
The battle over 5G network suppliers is part of a broader push by the Trump
administration to check China's rise as a global technology powerhouse.PHOTO: REUTERS
The battle over 5G network suppliers is part of a broader push by the Trump
administration to check China's rise as a global technology powerhouse.PHOTO: REUTERS
News Wrap: Huawei to develop 5G networks in Russia
https://youtu.be/Lzu4MBIzhyA
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – China granted 5G licences to the country’s three major telecom operators and China Broadcasting Network Corp on Thursday (June 6), giving the go-ahead for full commercial deployment of the next-generation cellular network technology.
The approvals will trigger investment in the telecommunications sector which will benefit top vendors such as Huawei Technologies, just as the Chinese network equipment provider struggles to overcome a US blacklisting that has hurt its global business.
China approved four operating licences for 5G networks, setting the stage for the super-fast telecommunications system amid simmering tensions with the US over technology and trade.
The country’s three state-owned wireless carriers and China Broadcasting Network Corp were granted licences for full commercial deployment, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The operators, China Mobile Ltd, China Telecom Corp and China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd, have been testing the technology in several cities including Beijing and Shenzhen.
Full deployment of 5G networks in a country with almost 1.6 billion wireless phone subscriptions is expected to boost local companies designing gear for applications in autonomous driving, robotics, remote surveillance and virtual reality. The faster-than-expected approvals also come as Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co, the world’s largest manufacturer of networking equipment, has vowed to maintain its lead in the face of a US campaign pressuring allies not to use the company’s products.
Shares of some 5G-related companies fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai trading after the licence announcement, trimming gains made earlier in the week on expectations the companies would benefit from the push for the new networks.
China Tower Corp, the three major carriers’ infrastructure provider, fell 3% as of 10.50am in Hong Kong, paring its advance in the past four days to 9.1%. ZTE Corp, which makes handsets and telecom gear, dropped 4.3%, trimming its four-day rally to 7.1%.
Betting on the fate of the nation’s next generation of telecom networks has been one of the year’s hottest trades in China and Hong Kong. An index of telecom-related shares is up 20% this year, led by a 54% rally in ZTE’s Shenzhen-traded stock.
Beijing-based Xiaomi Corp in March said it would introduce China’s first 5G phone in May or June. Huawei and ZTE, have also said they intend to offer handsets compatible with the technology this year.
Introducing 5G will directly add 6.3 trillion yuan (US$912bil) to economic output and 8 million jobs by 2030, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology estimates. — Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump's latest confrontation with
China's telecoms giant Huawei may plunge the world into a long-term
technology “cold war,” forcing global companies to pick sides between
the US and China.
All parties suffer during the trade war, a game of
“killing 1,000 enemies while losing 800 of our own.” Many institutions
have forecast the impact of increased tariffs on China's economic growth
to be around 1 percentage point. While there is no need to panic, we
should also prepare for worst-case scenarios.
5G technology is going to be the cornerstone of Malaysia’s march into the new age and a vital foundation for the country to remain relevant and competitive, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Speaking at the launch of the 5G Malaysia showcase here, the Prime Minister said Malaysians can leverage on this technology within the next three years and catapult the national economy towards strong and sustainable growth.
“We have come a long way and yet there’s still a distance to go,” he said, adding that 5G would impact every industry that is vital to the growth of the country’s economy.
“Industries like manufacturing that has contributed 22% to the Gross Domestic Product in the last five years, remains integral to the national economy.
“Through smart manufacturing or massive machine-type communications, the government hopes that it can attract high value-added, high technology and knowledge-intensive investment in areas such as aerospace, chemicals and chemical products, machinery and equipment and medical devices,” Dr Mahathir said.
He was given a taste of the future when he was driven in a driverless car and had a conversation with a hologram.
The Prime Minister was taken on a driverless blue Proton Exora for a 500m ride from the Palace of Justice to the Putrajaya Corporation building on the opposite side of the road.
A safety driver was present and sat on the driver’s seat and showed the prime minister that the car was able to manoeuvre even though his hands were not on the steering wheel.
Dr Mahathir was visibly impressed with this latest technology as he waved at the crowd and media cameramen.
As he entered the function hall, he was again given an experience of how things will be in the future when he had his face scanned to gain entry into the hall.
Later at the launch, the Prime Minister spoke to a little girl by the name of Aisyah, not with her physically but her hologram.
Aisyah or her real name Tengku Zara Eryna Tengku Ahmad Saifuddin is no stranger to Dr Mahathir.
The seven-year-old was featured in an election campaign video with the prime minister last year.
During the short conversation with the hologram, “Aisyah” asked: “Atuk, when you were my age, what G were you on?”
Dr Mahathir replied “Zero G”, drawing laughter from the audience.
“Aisyah” also asked Dr Mahathir what’s next for Malaysia beyond 5G, to which she answered “Teleporting humans”.
Dr Mahathir told the audience that the government, through the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan and the National 5G Task Force would create an environment conducive for the growth of 5G.
The 5G showcase event is open to public at the Putrajaya Corporation Complex until April 21.
by mazwin nik anis and joseph kaos jr The Star
Firms racing to be the first to provide 5G
With the government backing 5G in order for the country to get on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, many companies are racing to be the first to bring the benefits of the technology to the masses.
“The 5G technology will enable our industries to fully exploit the power of artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, virtual reality, and software engineering,” said Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo at the launch of the inaugural 5G Malaysia Showcase.
“It will bring innovation which will substantially impact almost every sector, including education, transportation, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, entertainment and public safety.”
The four-day showcase at Kom-pleks Perbadanan Putrajaya features 11 local and international telcos, tech companies and higher learning institutions.
Digi showcased the potential of 5G in emergency services.
Digi chief executive officer Albern Murty said: “It enables the use of 4K video, collection and transferring of data in real-time to respective emergency services such as first responders, hospitals, and the fire department, saving valuable time.
“What is equally important is 5G’s capability to dedicate a portion of the network for mission critical services such as emergencies.”
The system uses a drone which will scout road and traffic conditions, and transmit the data to the a Command Centre Monitoring System, ambulance and hospital in real time.
Celcom Axiata Bhd unveiled its first autonomous car, a collaboration with eMoovit and Ericsson, which uses a combination of sensors, cameras, radar and artificial intelligence to travel without a human driver.
Celcom also showcased its 5G Hologram Call technology which projects people and objects in 3D.
In a demo, Maxis proved that its 5G network could exceed 5Gbps (gigabits per second).
Its chief technology officer Morten Bangsgaard said: “It’s been slightly over a month we started our live trials. What we are doing now is validating how it will perform in real life, under different conditions like what it happens when it rains. These are practical things that will enable us to learn how to build the network, understand expected capacities, cost involved, which are important to allow us to plan for our rollout.”
But he said the nationwide rollout could only be planned after it gets the spectrum allocation.
“The government has indicated that an announcement on spectrum allocation will be made later this year,” he said.
TM One chief executive officer Azizi A. Hadi said the most important element in the 5G race was how it is used to benefit people’s lives and consequently take Malaysia to the next level.
He showed how the Smart Safety Helmet developed by TM can be used to tell the location of the wearer as well as if the person is injured in the line of duty.
Nokia on the other hand demonstrated how 5G could be used for venues, allowing more devices to be connected at the same time, and events streamed in virtual reality for those who could not attend.
It also showed off a virtual reality table tennis game, and how 5G could be used for quality control in the manufacturing field.
ZTE had a demo of a racing game streamed from a remote location to a virtual reality headset using 5G, showing how the technology can be used to make gaming more accessible to those without a gaming machine.
Huawei offered a virtual reality 4K drone for attendees to try out. The drone would pan and tilt according to users’ head movements in “almost” real-time.
It also showcased the use of 5G in agriculture, aquaculture, healthcare alongside its RuralStar technology, which it says will be able to provide cellular coverage to rural and underdeveloped areas.
U Mobile showed tele-surgery, multi stream 4K videos and low latency gaming but cautioned that 5G requires supporting devices for it to take off.
Jasmine Lee, U Mobile chief marketing officer, said: “Even 4G did not really take off until there were devices, and content, so it is really going to be the same for 5G.”
