Malaysia to stick with plans for single, state-run 5G network

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's finance minister on Wednesday said the government has decided to stick with plans to have a state-run agency deploy the country's sole 5G network infrastructure, rejecting telcos' recommendations for a second network.

The government will retain a 30 per cent equity stake in the agency, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), and will offer an up to 70 per cent equity stake to telecommunications firms.

"Maintaining the single wholesale network model demonstrates the government's firm stance on policy continuity," Minister of Finance Tengku Zafrul Aziz told a news conference.

The decision comes after the matter was raised in the Cabinet last week following objections from industry stakeholders which said a shared fifth-generation (5G) wireless network could hamper competition.

Mobile phone service providers had recommended a second 5G provider in an impasse with DNB over pricing and other issues, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in December. REUTERS