PUTRAJAYA: The testbed for the 5G service network will be widened to five states after it was implemented in Putrajaya and Cyberjaya in April this year, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
The five states concerned were Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory and Kedah following the acceptance of the project proposal, he said.
“The focus is on these five states as a start and this does not mean that we stop there.
“From two places earlier, we expanded to five states and will continue to expand according to the situation and demand from the industry and the respective states,“he told reporters after the handing over ceremony of the National 5G Task Force Mid-Term Report, here today.
Gobind said the report was important for the nation to make a study on the implementation of the 5G services, encompassing the spectrum management and allocation, infrastructure, regulatory and business case.
Gobind said the report was crucial in ensuring that Malaysia achieved the aspiration to implement the 5G in the first quarter or middle of next year, with the focus on specific industries.
“The approach through the 5G Special Task Force enabled the ecosystem based on Joint Prosperity to be achieved that would benefit the community, industry, government and the country,“ he said.
According to Gobind, a total of 66 5G used cases had been identified by the government and industry players.
“Total investment by industry players in the matter is RM50 million and this will be utilised for the period from October 2019 until March 2020,“he said.
The Minister said the 5G Special Task Force would also give emphasis on issues pertaining to safety and health.
He also said that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had issued the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Standard Mandatory Emission to be adhered in the interest public safety and telco workers.
Asked when the full report would be ready, Gobind said the time given was six months from last April and hoped the full report could be obtained by year end for study before being presented for attention of the Cabinet.
Asked on the ministry’s plan to come up with the 5G policy, Gobind said at the moment, the ministry had not concluded whether there was a need for a separate policy for 5G or to revamp the existing policies.
“The Cabinet will decide, and I will take it from there,“ he added.
On a separate issue, Gobind said there were plans to establish a one-stop-centre to address online scams.
“The online scams are a big problem and need to be addressed urgently. There is an existing collaboration between MCMC and the police,“he added. — Bernama
