Malaysia aims to showcase 40 5G private network use cases

The government of Malaysia said there are currently 12 enterprise projects involving 5G trials across various sectors

Malaysia plans to present at least 40 5G private network use cases in sectors such as manufacturing, oil and gas, logistics and healthcare, ahead of its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chairmanship next year, according to local press reports.

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo highlighted Malaysia’s rapid 5G network rollout, achieving over 80% coverage of populated areas within two years of launching 5G services.

“This ongoing effort to accelerate 5G adoption among various enterprises is crucial for Malaysia’s digital transformation,” the minister said.

By the end of April, Malaysia had over 13 million subscribers in the 5G segment, representing a penetration rate of 40%.

Gobind also noted that Malaysian state-run 5G network Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) is collaborating with the government, relevant ministries, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), telcos and enterprises to promote the adoption of 5G technology across all industries in Malaysia.

He added that there are currently 12 enterprise projects involving 5G trials across various sectors, including manufacturing, oil and gas, logistics, healthcare and plantations.

“Beyond these initial trials, there is significant interest from enterprises across the country as they embark on their digitalization journeys. Over 90 other projects and use cases are in various stages of development, with 30 expected to be operational by year-end,” he said.

DNB aims to provide 5G networks to 237 major industrial parks nationwide, according to the reports. As of April 2024, 95 industrial parks in the country already have full 5G coverage, he said.

Last month, DNB and Swedish vendor Ericsson announced the launch of a program to boost the digitalization of enterprises in Malaysia via 5G technology.

Under the terms of a previous agreement, Intel will collaborate on the development of 5G use cases to spur the adoption of the new technology by Malaysia enterprises.

The partners said that the agreement stipulates the piloting of autonomous transport with eMooVit Technology, fleet management with Scania and smart manufacturing with SKF Malaysia.

eMooVit will be providing a range of technologies, including operational technology sensors, camera technology and video analytics application software. The collaboration with Scania will be for the integration of technologies, such as operational technology sensors, fleet management systems and analytics applications. Meanwhile, Ericsson noted that the collaboration with SKF Malaysia will be for the use of 5G to complement fiber and Wi-Fi to enable wireless digitalization on the manufacturing shopfloor with use cases such as data shower analysis, video sensor monitoring and data capture.

DNB was set up by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecommunications firms would use to offer 5G services to their customers. DNB’s 5G network was deployed by Ericsson.