Ericsson has entered into a 10-year 5G partnership with Digital Nasional (DNB) in Malaysia to drive the nationwide deployment of the next-generation wireless cellular technology.
By using the capabilities of 5G and accelerating the deployment of Malaysia’s nationwide 5G network and ecosystem, DNB intends to provide access and services to mobile service providers and others licensed by the regulators, to enable a world-class 5G experience and make Industry 4.0 a reality in Malaysia.
DNB is tasked with helping Malaysia to achieve its digital aspirations as outlined in the government’s MyDIGITAL blueprint, which plans to transform Malaysia into a digitally driven, high-income nation and a leader in digital content, cyber security and digital economy in the Southeast Asia region.
DNB also supports the modernization of the nation’s mobile networks as part of the national digital infrastructure plan, Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela), to ensure every Malaysian has quality internet connectivity.
In the initial phase, DNB aims to launch Malaysia’s first 5G network in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. Ericsson’s local presence and deployment expertise are key to meeting DNB’s target of 80% 5G nationwide population coverage by 2024.
“We identified Ericsson to offer the best next generation 5G technology and professional services available to suit DNB’s specific and unique requirements,” said DNB CEO Ralph Marshall.
Ericsson’s participation in the national 5G project will see direct and indirect socio-economic contributions in areas such as job creation, partnership with Bumiputera and other local contractors and ecosystem players, and knowledge and capacity building in Malaysia.
“Malaysia’s and DNB’s commitment to accelerating the deployment of 5G is to be congratulated, as it will speed up the adoption of 5G nationally, bridge the digital divide and transform the nation,” said David Hägerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“5G will help to facilitate the government’s ambition to promote Malaysians to become technology creators through development of 5G applications and use cases,” said Hägerbro.
DNB’s exclusive partnership with Ericsson spans delivery of energy-efficient Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, including Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, a software for wide-area 5G coverage.
The scope also includes cloud-native 5G Core and 5G Radio Access (RAN) nationwide. Ericsson will also manage the unique requirements of a single wholesale network with its Managed Services offering, Ericsson Operations Engine.
The solution will enhance the performance of DNB’s network using AI , automation and cognitive software to predict and prevent issues.
