(By Yang Yiting, Edited by Lü Dong)

On April 15th, U Mobile, a mobile communication network operator in Malaysia, held a signing ceremony with Huawei (Malaysia) and ZTE (Malaysia) to appoint Huawei and ZTE as its technical partners for the deployment of Malaysia's next-generation 5G network under a dual-network mode. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysia's Minister of Communications, and Li Lecheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.

U Mobile official website

It is reported that U Mobile aims to achieve an 80% coverage rate in densely populated areas within the first 12 months after the network deployment begins, and a 90% coverage rate in the following 12 months. The company also emphasized that the country's next-generation 5G network will prioritize key areas such as transportation hubs, medical and sports facilities, smart cities, and data centers. This deployment will also include 5G indoor coverage in all areas of buildings.

Woon Ooi Yuen, CTO of U Mobile, said: "We believe that our enterprise-level next-generation 5G network will enhance Malaysia's overall 5G and 5G-A experience, and will also enhance industry competitiveness by providing more options at the wholesale level. Most importantly, we look forward to promoting the popularization of innovation and solutions."

Zhang Zhiyuan, chairman of U Mobile, said that the selection of the two Chinese telecommunications suppliers followed a strict and transparent selection process. Huawei is responsible for the deployment in Peninsular Malaysia, while ZTE Communications is responsible for East Malaysia.

Zhang Zhiyuan said at the supplier signing ceremony: "Huawei and ZTE are not unfamiliar to U Mobile. As our long-term infrastructure partners, they have an outstanding global deployment record. Therefore, we look forward to working together to promote business transformation."

Eric Wong, CEO of U Mobile, revealed that the company plans to deploy the local second 5G network through an internal funding portfolio, including bank loans, supplier financing, and future IPO proceeds.

However, Eric Wong declined to disclose the specific investment amount but disclosed that the cost would reach the "billions of ringgit" level.

Some media mentioned that U Mobile holds 19% of the market share locally, while CelcomDigi and Maxis hold 50% and 37% respectively.

Previously, Zhang Zhiyuan said that U Mobile has cumulatively invested over 8 billion ringgit (approximately 13.26 billion RMB) in the field of networks and technical infrastructure, owning more than 10,000 network sites.

Regarding the pricing of the 5G network, Eric Wong estimated that the wholesale price would be "close" to the current rates of Malaysia Digital Network Sdn Bhd (DNB). "All prices will remain similar to DNB because we believe unreasonable high or low pricing is not reasonable," he added.

"Huawei is recognized as a global leader in the 5G market. GlobalData has consistently ranked us as industry leaders for six consecutive years, and we lead the world in 5G patent ownership. We are honored to gain this trust and commit to exceeding responsibilities. In partnership with U Mobile, we are committed to building a customized 5G-A network to provide differentiated 5G and 5G-A experiences for individual users, families, and industries," said Sun Luyuan, CEO of Huawei (Malaysia).

"ZTE Communications is pleased to become U Mobile's technology partner and honored to play a key role in shaping Malaysia's 5G landscape. This cooperation will continue our journey of jointly driving Malaysia's telecommunications industry from 2G to 3G, 4G, and then to 5G," said Ge Yuqiao, General Manager of ZTE Communications Malaysia.

Previously in March, Malaysian telecom operator CelcomDigi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Co., Ltd. and ZTE Communications (Malaysia) Co., Ltd. to leverage advanced artificial intelligence and next-generation connectivity technologies to provide Malaysia with superior digital experiences and assist the country in transitioning to a 5G and AI-enabled digital society.

This article is an exclusive contribution of Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493770350115734079/

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