Four telcos ink 5G access deals with DNB

KUALA LUMPUR: Five telecommunications service providers, namely U Mobile Sdn Bhd, Celcom Networks Sdn Bhd, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM), have inked the 5G access agreements (AA) with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) on Oct 30, 2022, respectively, to provide 5G services in the country.

U Mobile said it will provide 5G services to its customers from Nov 3, 2022 onwards after it signed the 5G AA with DNB on Oct 30, 2022.

"From Nov 3, onwards, customers of U Mobile's 5G-ready postpaid and prepaid plans will be able to enjoy the benefits of 5G connectivity when using compatible devices," it said in a statement today.

Chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck said U Mobile is supportive of the government's vision of a single wholesale network for 5G deployment, whereby all operators would have access to the same network without differentiation in terms of speed and quality.

"We have full faith that DNB will honour the mandate of providing quality 5G coverage and capacity on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis.

"We look forward to providing 5G services from DNB's single network, making us as well positioned as any other in the industry for 5G," he added.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Axiata Group Bhd said its wholly-owned subsidiary held through Celcom Axiata Bhd, Celcom Networks, had entered into the AA with DNB to allow Celcom wholesale access to DNB's 5G network.

In a separate statement, the telco said Celcom customers, including Celcom Business customers, who have 5G-enabled devices and are subscribed to selected Celcom postpaid and prepaid plans, would automatically be able to access 5G network services within 5G coverage areas starting Nov 1, 2022.

In another Bursa Malaysia filing, Digi.Com Bhd said its wholly-owned subsidiary, Digi Telecommunications, had executed the AA with DNB for access to the 5G single wholesale network on Oct 30, 2022.

In a separate statement, Digi said it would subscribe to DNB's 5G wholesale network for a period of 10 years to develop and offer end-customer retail services which included 5G connectivity.

Earlier, TM announced in a Bursa Malaysia filing that it had executed the AA with DNB on Oct 30, 2022 to subscribe to the latter's regulated 5G services including, but not limited to, the national 5G wholesale network product.

-- BERNAMA