Gobind: 5G price to be maintained

KUALA LUMPUR: The government, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will ensure that the price of 5G under the second network is maintained, says Gobind Singh Deo.

The Digital Minister said the aspect of price increase had been taken into account during the evaluation process of the network.

“The MCMC has taken the steps to ensure that when the second network is established, the prices set will follow the existing rates,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) and CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) collaboration agreement signing ceremony here yesterday.

Earlier this month, the MCMC had issued the applicant information package, which is an invitation for mobile network operators (MNOs) to participate in the 700 megahertz and 3.5 gigahertz frequency bands to enable the setting up of the second 5G network.

The process of selecting MNOs for the shift to the second 5G wholesale network is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Gobind said the government is looking to set up a data commission to enhance data security at the end of the year or in the March parliamentary session next year.

“We are now in the process of amending the Personal Data Protection Act.

“The bill was passed by Dewan Rakyat last week. Come the end of this year, we will be tabling a bill that will enable us to share data, which is crucial to ensure that we can continue our efforts to use technologies like artificial intelligence (AI),” he said.

Gobind noted that many new technologies are leaning towards AI and generative AI, and the most important factor for the success of these technologies is data.

Hence, the question arises on whether are there adequate policies or legal frameworks to protect data.

“I have proposed to set up a data commission. What we have now is a committee that was established under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. The amendments being brought to Parliament are on how we can strengthen data security but they do not extend to turning the committee into a commission.

“However, this is something that I aim to do. The focus is to use the committee as a platform first and continue to develop it. Subsequently, we will propose to the government to turn the committee into a commission to focus more on the aspects of data,” he said.

Meanwhile, DNB and CSM have collaborated to bolster the security of Malaysia’s 5G network against cyber threats.

Gobind said the partnership entailed the development of 5G security guidelines, which would be utilised as a fundamental requirement for the industry and serve as a guiding principle for future 5G security baseline.

“This partnership will also see the establishment of a 5G cyber security testing centre,” Gobind said.

Cybercrime cases in the country nearly doubled from 10,753 in 2018 to 19,175 in 2022.

According to Gobind, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility that necessitates the pooling of resources, intelligence and expertise.