Digi hits 50% population coverage for 4G

Site beyond site: Albern (centre) says Digi is on track to add 1,500 more 4G sites. With him are Digi chief network officer Kesavan Sivabalan (left) and chief marketing officer Christian Thrane (right).

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd claims to have the widest 4G footprint in the country now that it has reached 50% population coverage.

The telco surpassed its initial target of 45% which it only expected to hit at the end of the year, says Digi chief executive officer Albern Murty.  

“This significant improvement in network quality, performance and coverage is a result of a critical decision made three years ago to modernise and strengthen our network and fibre infrastructure capabilities,” he says.

But it has no plan to stop its aggressive expansion, as it’s on track to add 1,500 more sites by year-end.

To date, it offers 4G coverage in 28 areas nationwide including Klang Valley, Cyberjaya, Penang, Johor Baru, Malacca, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, as well as Taiping, Port Dickson, Alor Setar, Tawau and Sungai Petani.
 
“We aspire to build a world class network to enable more Malaysians to enjoy consistent high-speed Internet services on-the-go,” he says.

“Our rapid expansion, both in 3G and now 4G caters to the increasing appetite for advanced next-gen apps that are fast becoming necessary for an increasing number of Malaysians.”

It also said it now delivers 4G on two bands – 1,800MHz and 2,600MHz – to improve indoor and outdoor coverage, as well as offer better capacity.

As of the second quarter, 1.3 million 4G devices connect to its network. For 3G, it’s coverage stands at 87% nationwide but it declined to say if has begun testing for 4.5G or 5G.