Malaysia (Commonwealth Union)_ The Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, is reportedly considering the possibility of opening up the country’s 5G ecosystem to other technology partners, which would break the current monopoly held by Ericsson, a Sweden-based information and technology company. According to a Finance Ministry official, who is familiar with the current 5G review discussions, “They (the private mobile operators) have made representations, and there is a strong possibility, more than a 50 percent chance, of opening up the field.”
According to senior government officials, who are familiar with the situation, dismantling of the 5G monopoly currently held by Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) will be discussed when authorities from the Finance Ministry, headed by Anwar, and the Digital and Communications Ministry hold meetings on the nation’s most significant technology upgrade. This major upgrade is expected to cost over RM16.5 billion (USD3.74 billion) over the next decade.
