According to Reuters, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that the country’s implementation of a dual 5G network architecture beginning in 2024 would allow for greater participation of Chinese vendor Huawei.
The Malaysian government said in May that it will permit the establishment of a second 5G network in the nation in an effort to end the current monopoly enjoyed by a single state-run network.
The United States and the European Union had earlier cautioned Malaysia that allowing Huawei to participate in local 5G networks could compromise its security.
Anwar admitted that some nations had concerns about Chinese technology, but he insisted that the decision to permit a second 5G network was made so that Malaysia could take advantage of various technologies.
“We in Malaysia… and I believe rightly, decided that while we get the best from the West, we also should benefit the best from the East,” he said. “After extensive discussion… we made the decision to allow for a dual network, and thus the decision for more effective participation by Huawei,” he added.
Previous reports claimed that Huawei has lobbied to be included in Malaysia’s future deployment of 5G network infrastructure.
The Malaysian government established Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) in 2021 as a special purpose corporation to create the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecoms firms would use to provide 5G services to its clients. The Swedish telecom company Ericsson and DNB collaborated to roll up Malaysia’s 5G network.
Through DNB’s 5G network infrastructure, local operators are currently offering 5G services throughout Malaysia.
The DNB 5G roll-out in Malaysia, however, had sparked questions about price and transparency as well as fears that a single state-run 5G network might lead to a nationalised monopoly.
The new Malaysian administration made the decision to reassess the national 5G network’s rollout in light of these worries.
Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysia’s Minister of Communications and Digital, has previously stated that DNB will keep deploying 5G network infrastructure there until 80 percent coverage is reached by the end of 2023. The Malaysian government has declared that after it meets its goal of 5G population coverage, DNB will be acquired by a private company.