Telcos given until Aug 31 to agree on 5G terms

PETALING JAYA: The six major telecommunications companies have until Aug 31 to agree on how much they will have to pay to access the 5G network, says finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

All six firms – Maxis, DiGi, Celcom, U Mobile, YTL and Telekom Malaysia – have agreed to take up shares in Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) that were offered to them by the government, with Maxis and U Mobile the last two companies to agree to terms for equity stakes last Monday.

“Some of the players probably want to delay longer, but whoever wants to sign can sign first,” said Tengku Zafrul in a Malay Mail report.

He also said that foreign telecommunication companies were “queuing up” for access to the Malaysian market, adding that many had registered “strong interest”.

While he said the addition of foreign players would potentially lead to lower prices for consumers, he stressed that local telcos should still be given priority.

“I think we have to give them an opportunity to continue to be the main players as they have invested so much,” he said.

On June 30, communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa said the six major telecommunications companies had agreed to take up stakes in DNB for the 5G rollout

DNB, a government-owned company appointed to deploy the 5G infrastructure and network nationwide, had offered the major telcos equal stakes totalling as much as 70% by June 30.

However, the top four carriers – Celcom, DiGi, Maxis and U Mobile – reportedly wanted a 51% majority stake instead. — Free Malaysia Today