KUALA LUMPUR: The government will meet local mobile network operators to resolve the issue pertaining to additional charges imposed on 5G network users, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said he is aware that some MNOs are charging extra or imposing additional premium on subscribers for 5G network usage, on top of existing phone bills.
“I know YTL (Corp Bhd) doesn’t and some of the others. I will be meeting with the CEOs soon to coordinate this matter. We understand there might be some onboarding process for them but we hope that they can address some of these concerns.
“My wife is hesitant about taking up 5G, because she says when we converted from 3G to 4G, we didn’t have to pay anything, but now why do we have to pay? It is a valid question, and one asked by the minister’s wife to the minister, so I have to find an appropriate answer,“ he told reporters after the first-ever Islamic Digital Economy (IDE) Industry Conference 2023, today.
He shared that going forward, the government will hold discussions with MNOs to address other issues as well.
Fahmi said MNOs are expected to roll out a series of affordable Rahmah 5G packages on Aug 31, Merdeka Day.
“As of end July, we have reached 66.8% coverage of populated areas, which means that we are about ... less than 14% to reach 80% coverage. That is a target that cabinet has set when I announced the policy shift from single wholesale to dual network on May 3.
“Right now we are on track. We anticipate reaching 80% coverage on populated areas by end of this year or at the latest by early next year and once that has been reached, then we will enable two entities to operate 5G.
“The first one is DNB (Digital Nasional Bhd), which half of the MNOs will work with (them) and another half will work with an entity B that is (yet) to be announced,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry through Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) hosted the IDE Industry Conference 2023 to foster collaboration and partnerships with key industry players within the Islamic digital economy sector.
The IDE is one of the key sectors supporting a fair distribution of wealth and resources, aligned with the Malaysia Madani vision. It is also one of the nine promoted sectors under the national strategic initiative, Malaysia Digital, aiding MDEC in implementing an effective framework to establish various Malaysia Digital Catalytic Programmes (MD Pemangkin).
Malaysia continues to lead the Global Islamic Economy Indicator for the past nine consecutive years, driven by a thriving Halal ecosystem which is led by the Halal food-pharmaceutical-cosmetics, Muslim-friendly tourism, media, and recreational sectors. It is expected to attain a global value of US$7.7 trillion (RM35.79 trillion) by 2025.
MD Tasree` has been introduced to drive industry involvement, idea generation, promotion of ground-breaking innovations, and the commercialisation of technological solutions, in forming a suitable platform for MD Pemangkin.
