KUCHING (March 5): A showcase demonstrating how Sarawak can benefit from 5G technology recently concluded at the largest and most influential global connectivity event, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

During his visit to the Ericsson booth at the event, Sarawak Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi was able to see how a recent success using Sarawak as a case-study became part of a global showcase of 5G usage.

In a statement, Ericsson said Julaihi was also briefed on the advanced technology solutions being deployed by Ericsson through Digital Nasional Berhad’s (DNB) 5G networks; and how 5G technology can play a role in the development of Sarawak and digitalisation of its economy.

Recently, Ericsson and DNB held a joint programme where a senior lecturer, from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Kuala Lumpur Dr Syafiqah Saidin successfully delivered a virtual lesson to a group of students in Curtin University, Miri utilising advanced modern technologies.

Dr Syafiqah delivered the lesson inside a UTM-Ericsson Innovation Centre for 5G that enabled both lecturer and students to interact with each other virtually without any noticeable delay via the use of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality headsets.

It said the students were able to experience a high quality, real-time and interactive lecture in a custom-built Metaverse.

“The showcase was made possible through the ultrafast, secure, and reliable connectivity from Ericsson’s 5G standalone network, utilising carrier aggregation and network slicing technologies,” said Ericsson.

Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, David Hägerbro said by having Sarawak featured at MWC, it demonstrates how 5G can enable digital transformation across all industries to bridge the digital divide.

He further remarked that the recent showcase at congress had demonstrated the value of 5G in a real-world education scenario for the benefit of Malaysia, as well as the rest of the world.

“The world class 5G network that Ericsson delivers for DNB opens tremendous possibilities for Sarawak and the rest of Malaysia.”

“5G will enable connectivity for schools, hospitals and businesses located in historically underserved areas, where it can transform education, healthcare and local economies,” said Hägerbro.

He added that the 5G technology will also accelerate Malaysia’s digital transformation to leapfrog ahead in the region.