The Company is ready to bring 5G to all Malaysians; Becomes the First Telco to Deploy Stand Alone (SA) network

As the national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) is embarking on delivering 5G infrastructure to the country by participating in the 5G Demonstration Project undertaken by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).​

The demonstration project is for TM to test the new 5G features, explore the 5G technology system and assess the best way to deploy 5G infrastructure nationwide. The Company plans to test the implementation of a converged 5G core network which allows co-existence of Non-Stand Alone (NSA) and Stand Alone (SA) network. SA is the future of the 5G network deployment and this demonstration is crucial to fast track 5G implementation in the country.​

Towards this end, TM through its enterprise and public sector business solutions arm, TM ONE, recently started its 5G demonstration in Subang Jaya, Selangor together with Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) to test its 5G solutions namely Smart Traffic Light, Smart Safety & Security and Smart Parking.

Besides that, TM is also expanding its 5G Demonstration Project in Pulau Langkawi, Kedah with the demonstration of more 5G use cases. The transmission of 5G service in Pulau Langkawi is going live today, where TM is deploying the first 5G SA network in the country.

Commenting on the milestone development, Dato' Noor Kamarul Anuar Nuruddin, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM said: "We are very excited to be part of this 5G Demonstration Project which demonstrates our capabilities to deploy 5G in Malaysia and to roll-out the first 5G SA network in the country. These reflect our commitment to accelerate the delivery of 5G services nationwide. The deployment of our tested and proven 5G-enabled smart solutions for the showcase in Subang Jaya and Langkawi are testament of our commitment in accelerating the delivery of 5G services nationwide. This is in support of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's (MCMC) efforts in progressing humanity towards improving the quality of lives of the Rakyat. TM, via our innovative and comprehensive products and solutions will continue to lay the foundation for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) and enabling Internet of Things (IoT) – to serve a more digital society and lifestyle, digital businesses and industry verticals, as well as digital Government."

TM's aspiration is to deliver efficient and cost effective 5G infrastructure via infrastructure sharing approach, through the access regulations implemented by MCMC. This is by leveraging on its extensive fibre networks, including the submarine cables, telecommunications towers, and Cloud computing as well as ready Data Centres to support the 5G era in Malaysia. In terms of devices and use cases, its wholly-owned subsidiary, TM Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), is also developing and experimenting 5G related equipment to get ready for the upcoming 5G. 

In addition, the Company plans to test and demonstrate the Dynamic Spectrum Sharing feature where it can dynamically share the same spectrum to support different mobile technologies, dynamically.​

"This approach is expected to minimise duplication of network which will lead to cost reduction, translating the savings to lower prices for consumers/customers, be more environmentally friendly and allow the savings to be channeled for better innovation and improved customer services. We are open and ready to work together with other operators during this demonstration project. True to our position as the national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations, we have established the communications backbone of Malaysia with the widest connectivity and convergence network," added Dato' Noor Kamarul.