Introduction of 5G important for Brunei: local telecom giant

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Xinhua): The introduction of 5G is strategically important for Brunei, said Steffen Oehler, Chief Executive Officer of Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN), Brunei's biggest telecom infrastructure company.

As a wholly Brunei government-owned telecom company, UNN took over all telecommunications infrastructure in Brunei in September 2019 from the country's three telecom service providers: TelBru, DST and Progresif, which is now responsible for offering wholesale telecommunication services to both national and international clients.

According to local daily the Borneo Bulletin on Tuesday (Aug 25), Steffen Oehler said UNN is working with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry Brunei Darussalam (AITI) to evaluate the introduction of a 5G network.

The CEO said that the introduction of 5G is strategically important for the country, however the demand for 5G is still low as few people own 5G compatible mobile phones which tend to be higher cost models.

There are plans to introduce 5G but it would not be feasible to allocate too many resources to meet the demand of the few. Instead, the focus now is on customers using 3G and 4G networks. However, current implementation on 4G + and LTE is going towards the preparation for a 5G network, he added.