Celcom and Maxis to accelerate 5G rollout via network sharing

Celcom Axiata Berhad and Maxis Berhad have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore Malaysia’s first active 5G Radio Access Network sharing. The partnership will enable an efficient deployment of 5G infrastructure in the country.

The partnership will also allow both telcos to explore possible business opportunities in relation to 5G key strategic areas. According to the joint statement, the potential collaboration focuses on joint deployment of 5G infrastructure at selected areas. Both Maxis and Celcom will still maintain its own respective network and remain competitive in other areas.

Commenting on the signing, Celcom CEO, Idham Nawawi said “We believe collaboration is the way forward for the industry and working with Maxis to explore a more coordinated 5G deployment in Malaysia is something we are excited about. Our potential collaboration will pave the way for the delivery of a world-class 5G network, on top of our existing 4G and 3G/2G networks, to every Malaysian.”

Maxis CEO, Gokhan Ogut said, “We welcome the idea of collaborating with Celcom for 5G network sharing. We are already sharing towers, fiber and working together on connectivity for rural areas and USP projects. This helps us save resources and accelerate rollout. With this 5G network sharing, it presents an opportunity for us to deliver more value to our customers.”

Both Celcom and Maxis have started their 5G journey more than two years ago with the assessment of the technology and conducting demo trials. Before the spectrum becomes available next year, the telcos are now running full-fledged 5G live trials while continuing to upgrade their core network.

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