DNB, Ericsson sign MoUs with partners to accelerate Malaysia’s digital plans

KUALA LUMPUR: Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), together with its technology partner Ericsson Malaysia, signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with several prominent parties as part of the Government’s plan to encourage the

digitalisation of enterprises and industries in Malaysia. DNB is an agency under the Ministry of Digital.

The first MoU, between DNB and Ericsson with Intel, will see the development of Enterprise 5G solutions in Malaysia. The MoU with eMooVit, a homegrown startup, and flagbearer for autonomous vehicle deployment and technology solutions, will enable pilot use cases of autonomous transport. Another MoU with Scania on fleet management use cases will enable the development of 5G-based solutions, while the agreement with SKF on smart manufacturing will see the adoption of use cases on wireless digitalisation within a factory setting. These enterprises will go to market with their chosen Telcos/Access Seekers to implement their 5G use cases.

Speaking at the signing ceremony today, Minister of Digital, YB Gobind Singh Deo said these MoUs represent the first immediate step to put plans into action and achieve on-ground implementation, to turn Malaysia into a digital nation.

“The Government, via agencies such as DNB, is currently driving market development activities to ensure that this momentum of digital adoption across all economic sectors will continue to grow, and that various initiatives will be aggressively pursued for more industry stakeholders to come on board,” said Gobind.

“I was in Penang recently to officiate the ‘Connected Industries Day: Transforming Manufacturing with 5G and AI’ workshop that was organised by DNB, in collaboration with Intel, Ericsson and China Mobile International. The event, supported by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, was attended by over 200 industry players, with the objective to encourage adoption of digital solutions by Malaysian manufacturers.

“Today’s event is a continuation of the mission to encourage the digitalisation of enterprises and industries in Malaysia. The signings of MoUs today will demonstrate the power of Enterprise 5G to enable operational efficiency, product differentiation and new business models.”

Among those present at today’s cermony were Ministry of Digital Deputy Secretary General (Strategic Policy), Ma Sivanesan; Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Ericsson, Börje Ekholm; DNB Chief Strategic Officer, Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid; DNB Chief Operating Officer, Nasution Mohamed; President and Chief Executive Officer of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, David Hagerbro; eMooVit Chief Executive Officer, Dr Hairi Zamruri; Intel Malaysia Managing Director, Chong Aik Kean; Scania Southeast Asia Managing Director Heba Eltarifi; and SKF Managing Director, Vignesh Sakhthinathan.

Gobind hoped such initiatives will demonstrate that advanced technologies will act as the catalyst for enterprises to propel Malaysia’s economy as a leading digital nation, en route to enhancing the prosperity, and improving the welfare of Malaysians Malaysia’s 5G network has consistently performed well since its inception over two years ago. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence® Q4 2023 data, the country

continues to outperform other Southeast Asian countries in 5G network performance, despite the expected decrease in performance due to more user adoption, and congestion. Data shows that Malaysia achieved a 5G median download speed of 451.79 Mbps, which is higher than Singapore’s 329.73 Mbps, Thailand’s 129.40 Mbps, and the Philippines’ 125.14 Mbps.

Malaysia also reported the fastest 5G median upload speed among its Southeast Asia neighbours, at 51.84 Mbps, compared to 27.57 Mbps for Singapore, 23.63 Mbps for Thailand, and 12.00 Mbps for the Philippines.

“The widespread availability of high-quality 5G in Malaysia right now means that it is

far easier than ever for industries to adopt use cases that are powered by 5G

technology,” said Gobind.

“I am hopeful that with this digitalisation initiative by DNB and Ericsson, more enterprises will embrace the possibilities that these advance telecommunication technology can bring to their businesses,” Gobind added.

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Corporate Communications Division

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