Malaysia is all set to make its mark on the global arena on par with developed economies with the implementation of 5G Demonstration Projects (5GDP) throughout the country led by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The progress in the implementation of the fifth generation mobile technology (5G) will also redefine the readiness of the country’s industries and small and medium businesses to face the fourth industrial revolution.
MCMC mentioned that Malaysia has laid the foundation through 5GDP to be at the frontier in deploying 5G in Southeast Asia. A recent study by the Malaysia Institute of Economic Research (MIER) stated that the implementation of 5G can contribute approximately RM12.7 billion to the national gross domestic product (GDP) and create about a total of 40,000 new jobs within the next five years.
“A comprehensive 5G ecosystem is in progress with various new approaches inclusive of network and infrastructure sharing between service providers, policy revisions, joint ventures and so forth,” it said.
Many innovative services will emerge via the technology ranging from advanced virtual reality, autonomous vehicles to remote medical surgeries. 5G will deliver ultra-reliable low-latency communication with improved energy efficiency and enhanced privacy and security as well.
In addition, MCMC stated that the 5GDP in Langkawi involves 35 use cases in six verticals at 25 live 5G sites, actively operating from October 2019 until March 2020 with a total investment summing up to RM101 million. This constitutes half of the total 72 cases used in six states namely; Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur.
Among the use cases demonstrated in Langkawi are Smart Agriculture, Smart City, Smart Airport, Smart Traffic Light Solutions, Real Time Medical Data Transfer, 5G Live Video Surveillance, Remote Consultation and Virtual Tourism. Additionally, there are three use cases at Langkawi Port; Digital Boundary Control, Smart Tracking for Water Vessels and Geo-fencing & Smart Perimeters.
Prior to the launch of 5GDP on Sunday, 19 January 2020, our Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited two 5GDP live sites at the Langkawi Land and District Office and Langkawi Police Headquarters in Kuah which demonstrated use cases such as 5G Command Centre, eKelas, smart agriculture culture solutions, security and smart city solutions. He also paid a visit to Hospital Sultanah Maliha to oversee the progress of digital healthcare use cases namely real time medical data transfer and connected ambulance.
The launch of the 5GDP took place at the Langkawi International Convention Centre, marking a major milestone for Malaysia in its advancement in its digital economy agenda. In conjunction with the launch of 5GDP, MCMC also organised its maiden 5G Malaysia International Conference on 20 and 21 January 2020 respectively which featured renowned international and local speakers and panellists from the industry. The conference discussed the development and prospects of the implementation of 5G in Malaysia and worldwide.
During the conference, Mr Al-Ishsal Ishak, MCMC Chairman handed over the 5G Task Force Final Report to YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communications and Multimedia. The Final Report underlines the pre-requisites for 5G implementation namely; infrastructure requirements, spectrum management solutions, and regulatory matters such as cooperation with State and local authorities as well as addressing security, safety and health concerns.