Maxis, the only telco in Malaysia that has yet to sign up with Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) for 5G access, has provided an indication of when they will provide commercial 5G services. Two days ago, they issued a statement saying they are still committed to offering 5G but their board is still assessing the governance requirements for the access agreement with the single wholesale network.
Maxis has issued the following statement through Bursa Malaysia:
The Board of Directors of Maxis Berhad (“the Company” or “Maxis”) wishes to announce that pursuant to section 223 of the Companies Act 2016 and para 10.07 of the Bursa Main Market Listing Requirements, Maxis will be seeking shareholders’ approval in respect of the proposed entry into the 5G Access Agreement (“AA”) with Digital Nasional Berhad (“DNB”).
The Board has assessed the governance requirements and in reliance on professional advice, believes it is mandatory for Maxis to seek shareholders’ approval given the nature of the AA and the substantial undertaking involved.
Maxis Berhad
It emphasised that they are committed to playing an active and leading role in bringing 5G to the nation in line with the Government’s digital ambitions through DNB’s network. They are also looking forward to bringing the best of 5G services and converged solutions to all its customers and is focused on launching 5G as part of its suite of offerings in the near future, subject to shareholders’ approval.
Maxis aims to complete the approval process by January 2023 and to commercially launch 5G-related products and services soon after. It added that further announcements setting out the details will be provided in due course. From the looks of it, Maxis subscribers may potentially get 5G services as early as January 2023, depending on how soon the access agreement is signed.
A total of five telcos have signed their respective 5G access agreements with DNB to meet the end-of-October deadline. This includes YTL Communications, Celcom, Digi, Telekom Malaysia and U Mobile. Out of the five, only four telcos (YTL, Celcom, Digi and TM) have signed the Share Subscription Agreement to invest in DNB for a combined 65% equity stake, while the government through the Ministry of Finance holds the remaining 35% stake plus a golden share.
Both Telekom Malaysia (Unifi Mobile) and Celcom have started offering 5G access to their postpaid and prepaid subscribers, while U Mobile will start offering 5G access tomorrow, 3rd November 2022. Digi which has also signed the access agreement has yet to provide concrete details on its commercial 5G availability. YTL Communications’ Yes 5G was the first to offer 5G to consumers since December 2021.
DNB currently claims to have 33.2% 5G population coverage and the original plan was to achieve 40% 5G population coverage by the end of this year. With its accelerated deployment, it aims to achieve 80% 5G population coverage by the end of 2024. Its current 5G coverage areas include the Klang Valley and selected areas in Johor, Perak, Penang, Kelantan, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.
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- Maxis committed to offer 5G, board assessing governance requirements for access agreement with DNB
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- Digi says they are unlocking 5G for consumers soon, 5G network testing is still ongoing
- Celcom and Digi sign 10-year 5G access agreement with DNB, commercial 5G services available soon
