KUALA LUMPUR: Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) and mobile network operators (MNOs) could use 4G existing sites to meet the 80% 5G population coverage target by year-end, say analysts.
University Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Engineering senior lecturer Prof Dr Tharek Abdul Rahman said the 5G rollout in the country had reached 57.8% so far, while the nation’s 4G network coverage encompassed 96.92% of populated areas as of March this year.
“Therefore, DNB and MNOs should consider using existing sites for 4G networks to meet the remaining 22.2% target for 5G coverage. These 4G sites can speed up the coverage target which is better than rolling out new sites, where we need approval and so on.
“In addition, the frequency used for 5G is no different from the 4G frequency,” he told Bernama.
Malaysia aims to expedite the 5G rollout to achieve 80% 5G population coverage by the end of 2023, which is one year ahead of DNB’s schedule.
