Comment by Suresh Sidhu, Chief Executive Officer, edotco Group:
Belanjawan 2020 reflects the government’s ambition of driving equitable growth and a digitally connected landscape for mutual prosperity. We applaud their commitment to accelerate Malaysia’s transition to 5G through the ‘5G Ecosystem Development Grant’ worth RM50 million’.
Connectivity is key to ensuring a seamless transition to 5G and deploying shared infrastructure is crucial in that journey. As we move towards the era of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), development of smart cities and so forth, we will need the right solutions that can cope with the increased capacity demands.
To realise the full potential of a seamless 5G transition, we need to firstly asses how the ecosystem and participants are engaging with each other; look into the densification of infrastructure to support the increased capacity; and thirdly, outline the right national policies for spectrum, sharing and sites. It is key that every telecommunications player is on the same page to ensure the successful rollout of 5G. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the government, regulators, local authorities and the private sector need to collaborate.
We also hope parts of this budget allocation will be channelled towards helping disadvantaged communities to leapfrog to 5G so all sectors of the nation progress at an equal pace, and we await details on how local players in the industry can be part of bridging that digital gap. As a home-grown regional integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, we have the capability and expertise in telecommunications infrastructure planning and deployment to deliver future-proof networks. Alongside players within the ecosystem, we are committed to transforming Malaysia into a digital economy powerhouse in Southeast Asia with an all-inclusive, vibrant 5G ecosystem.
It is encouraging that Malaysia has already started adopting next-generation telecom infrastructure solutions to prepare for increased capacity demands. edotco has been working with some industry players in deploying solutions like small cells and In-Building Solutions (among others) to meet the increased capacity needs across the country.