- MoUs with Intel, Ericsson, eMooVit, Scania and SKF Malaysia to create usage scenarios
- Gobind enthusiastic businesses will take advantage of the benefits of utilizing 5G options
Despite the sluggish business interest and possibly lower implementation of 5G based services, Digital Nasional Bhd ( DNB), the operator of Malaysia’s nationwide 5G network and its ultimate network equipment provider, Ericsson, are pushing ahead to create market interest in adopting 5G based services.
Their latest work comes in the form of MoUs signed with Intel, eMooVit Technology, a Malay autonomous car business, and two world Swedish companies, Scania, a transport solutions provider and SKF Malaysia, a bearing and seal manufacturer. Börje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson Group who was making an Eastern trip, was in KL to see the drafting with Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh in attendance. The Ministry of Finance has established a firm called DNB, which is under Gobind’s government’s control.
DNB and Ericsson are hoping that the MoUs may help businesses develop advanced, industry-specific 5G options that will enable them to increase operational efficiency, promote product innovation, and think about new business models.
” Malaysia is truly positioned to promote automation. According to Ahmad Zaki Zahid, DNB’s Chief Strategy Officer, these Agreements may safe industry leaders by demonstrating the full potential of automation and 5G, which may lead to the desired result of the MOUs.
Dr Hairi Zamzuri, eMooVit’s CEO, said,” Partnering with Ericsson is essential for turning ideas into reality through firm use, with the ultimate aim of transforming urban transport in the future”.
By integrating its operating systems sensors, camera systems, and video analytics over the 5G community, the company is testing use cases for autonomous transportation.  ,
Gobind emphasized the pivotal role of Malaysia’s 5G ecosystem in propelling enterprises towards digital transformation.  ,
” Malaysia’s world- class 5G network is the cornerstone of this digitalization plan. It is much simpler than ever for industries to adopt use cases powered by 5G technology because of the widespread availability ( 80.2 % coverage of populated areas ) of high-quality 5G in Malaysia.
Gobind noted that Malaysia’s 5G deployment is credited with being one of the fastest globally, reaching 80 % of population coverage in less than two years of operation. As of March 2024, DNB said the network serves over 11.9 million 5G subscribers. Ekholm attributed this to the “excellent execution by DNB” resulting in,” now Malaysia has a world- class digital infrastructure”.
However, despite accolades like having a world-class 5G network, being the fastest to reach 80 %, and being among the most affordable, these accomplishments have not yet influenced Malaysian businesses to adopt 5G as part of their digital transformation or competitive strategies. Gobind expressed hope that more businesses will take advantage of the benefits that these cutting-edge telecommunication technologies can offer their businesses.
Taking questions from the media on developments around the second 5G network for Malaysia, Gobind said the new , board of DNB,  , on , Tuesday, will study a , due diligence report regarding the 5G share sale agreement ( SSA ), before making any recommendations. He reiterated that the government’s position was that certain pre-requisites for the SSA between mobile network operators and DNB must be satisfied before a second 5G network can be established.
” The latest pre- condition met , was the appointment of the directors , last week” , , he said.
Intel, Scania and SKF Malaysia roles
Intel will work with Intel to create 5G use cases that will encourage the adoption of businesses. Intel and Ericsson want to demonstrate how communication service providers can speed up 5G adoption and foster compelling use cases for B2B transactions. Intel will focus on use cases in key sectors like manufacturing, transport, and logistics.
AK Chong, Intel’s VP of Foundry Manufacturing &, Supply Chain and Malaysia MD said,” Intel’s technology is at the heart of this industry transformation, catalyzing AI at the edge and breaking down barriers in the 5G core space”, she said.  ,
To benefit from 5 G’s enhanced mobile broadband capabilities for optimized logistics operations, Scania will concentrate on integrating sensors, fleet management systems, and analytics. ” With 5G technology, Scania Malaysia aims to optimize our assembly and fleet management further to deliver greater efficiency to customers”, said Heba Eltarifi, Managing Director of Scania Southeast Asia.
The collaboration with SKF Malaysia, a market leader in bearing and seal solutions, will look at using 5G to enable wireless digitalization on manufacturing floors. Potential use cases include data shower analysis, video sensor monitoring, and data capture. ” We expect this collaboration to represent a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey”, said Vignesh Sakthinathan, Managing Director of SKF Malaysia.
According to David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, Malaysia’s 5G network ranks globally among the top five thanks to its availability, affordability, customer experience, and capability. ” Business in Malaysia is now more competitive and attractive for foreign investors thanks to the digital infrastructure created by 5G.”