Malaysia joins pioneers at the GSMA APAC 5G Forum

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is making progress in driving 5G development by officially becoming a member of 5G GSMA Asia Pacific (GSMA APAC) Forum.

Founded on Sept 25 2019, GSMA APAC 5G Forum now collaborates with representatives from industry and government agencies in Asia Pacific region, aiming for the best approaches to the development of 5G in every segment.

Among the significant telecommunication representatives industry in the region that participated in the Forum were KDDI and NTT DOCOMO from Japan and KT, SK Telecom and LG UPlus from South Korea.

By being the first country in the world to roll out a commercial 5G network, South Korea is one of the pioneers in this field. In fact, SK Telecom expects to start offering standalone (SA) 5G services in South Korea sometime in the first half of 2020. 

Besides the collaboration among members, forum participants will also be given priority access to expert analysis, conferences, innovation labs and research under GSMA. What’s more, the list of forum members is expected to grow especially among Mobile Network Operators (MNO) and government regulating the telco industry.

As Malaysia is on track for the commercial rollout of 5G in Q3 of 2020, becoming a member of this forum could prove invaluable in augmenting us with the right tools and best practices to roll this technology out smoothly.

MCMC’s participation as a forum member was sealed during the meeting between MCMC Chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak and Head of GSMA APAC Julian Gorman on Jan 20, 2020 in Langkawi, Kedah.

“Through this forum, MCMC aims to share Malaysia’s experience in bonding various industries, federal and state governments, as well as local authorities to collectively develop a holistic ecosystem in the 5G commercialisation country,” said Al-Ishsal.