KUALA LUMPUR: While the signing of the share subscription agreement (SSA) between mobile network operators (MNOs) and Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) will not take place this month as anticipated, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil is hopeful for the deal to take place by year-end.

He noted that there were still some matters to be ironed out along with some analysis and assessment that needed to be done, from a technical point of view as well as from the financial aspect.

“I held a meeting with the 5G Task Force yesterday afternoon as we discussed a few matters, which will be conveyed to the MNOs.

“We hope some of the details that I have mentioned we were going through, can now be resolved, and that we can move expeditiously to the signing of the SSA.

“I am happy to say that we are almost ready to announce a date for signing. I just need to have a quick word with all of the MNOs very soon,” he told a press conference after the launch of DNB’s My5G Portal here yesterday.

Earlier this month, Fahmi had said prior to further discussions on the deployment of the second 5G network can be carried out, the inking of the SSAs by the MNOs to take up equity in DNB must take place first.

CelcomDigi Bhd, Maxis Bhd,Telekom Malaysia Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, have consented to take up the equity stakes in DNB to bolster the progression of Malaysia’s 5G network.

The MNOs will each have an equal share in DNB, while the government will preserve its 35% ownership in DNB.

At that time, the minister also said the Cabinet has not made any decision to divest its stake in DNB and will maintain its ownership in DNB ahead of the deployment of the dual network model for the 5G rollout.

As of the end of September, the 5G network coverage in populated areas (CoPA) had reached 70.2%. On the government’s decision to divest its stake in DNB as 5G coverage is on track to reach 80% of the country’s populated areas by the end of 2023, Fahmi noted that the discussions are going very well.

“Some of these concerns are ongoing discussions, so I will not comment on them directly but I am happy to acknowledge that we are on track. I am happy to say publicly that a lot of what we have achieved can only happen when there is a climate of understanding and preparedness to work together.

“I am very thankful, whether it is to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, DNB, MNOs, or the Finance Ministry, for ensuring that the environment is conducive for dialogue and discussion,” he noted.

Meanwhile, a collaborative effort between DNB and Ericsson, the My5G Portal, is designed to showcase the digital future made possible by 5G connectivity.

The space unveiled 50 use cases and solutions, spanning across 12 industry verticals such as healthcare, smart city, public safety and surveillance, amongst many others.

“This 5G Experience Centre demonstrates the government’s commitment to position Malaysia as a digital hub. The centre serves as a valuable resource for companies, public services, academia, and the wider public who are aiming to embrace 5G technologies,” Fahmi said.

Addressing concerns on whether current 4G users will incur additional costs when migrating to 5G, Fahmi said efforts are being made to ensure that more Malaysians will be able to benefit from the 5G network that has been rolled out. As of the end of September, the country’s 5G adoption rate stood at 7.4%.

“There are 2.4 million 5G accounts currently, out of 49.4 million active telco accounts in the country. Moreover, there are only about seven million 5G-ready devices.

“This was why we launched the 5G Ramah package on Aug 31, to help up to 100,000 B40 families particularly, to get 5G-ready devices at a very affordable price.

“In fact, I am happy to say the five major MNOs are competing very well between them to present or to give the best 5G packages. So you can choose whichever is to your heart’s desire or to your pockets’ content,” he said.

Fahmi also noted that over the last three to four months the communication sector has seen a consistent deflation of 3.7%.

“This is a good indicator that the local communications sector is seeing a negative inflation rate and specifically for 5G, while generally Internet costs will go down. We are in some final discussion with the MNOs that are charging, to see what we can do to ensure more Malaysians will be able to benefit from 5G that has been rolled out,” he said.

Fahmi added that while it is excellent for the country to be able to have faster Internet speeds for consumers, the primary beneficiaries or those that can stand to gain the most from 5G also include enterprises.

“While it is good that ordinary Malaysians do take up 5G, we find that you can see an increase in productivity, yield, and cost efficiency when enterprises also digitalise and take up 5G solutions.

“This is why the RM900mil that the Prime Minister announced for loans via Bank Negara and banks will help towards that end,” he said.