In the statement, MCMC has asked telcos in Malaysia to optimize their current 4G network so that they are able to transition to 5G in the near future. While that might sound odd for some, the Chief Digital Officer of MCMC, Gerard K M Lim explained the reason behind the call: “5G technology promises 1Gbps for each user and if the core network upgrade work is overlooked, the same throughput issue currently plaguing the country will remain. Potential bottleneck or congestion point would be between BTS and the core network. Thus, telecommunication providers must plan to ensure current 4G access is optimised and at the same time prepare for the upcoming 5G requirements.” To further drive its point, MCMC has also stated that only 40% of Base Transceiver Stations in Malaysia are fully fiberized. It is apparently one of the major factors that led to the low throughput for the country’s 4G network on certain times of the day which could go as low as 9Mbps as opposed to the current national average 4G download speed of 21.1 Mbps.
Even though we have recently heard several updates from local telco companies such as Maxis, Celcom, and U Mobile regarding their 5G effort, we still eager to see how telco companies will respond to this call from MCMC. After all, their customers would be the one that should benefit the most from any network optimization efforts by the telcos. (Source: MCMC.)
