Maxis Stand Ready To Build Second 5G Network

Maxis Bhd has announced its readiness to build a second 5G network and completely in favour of more healthy competition following the government’s decision for a dual-model approach to 5G network deployment.

“We are ready to build another 5G network and have recently showcased the capabilities of a 5G-Advanced (5.5G) network supported by the Ministry of Communications and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission,” a Maxis spokesperson recently told Bernama.

For context, it appears that the complex government-sponsored settlement agreement reached in early December between state-owned 5G operator, Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), and the country’s five private mobile telecommunications companies has broken down.

According to an article by Channel News Asia, government officials and industry executives have acknowledged that after more than four months, both sides have yet to agree on so-called condition precedents (CP), legal parlance for events that must take place before a contract can come into effect.

The other private telecom companies mentioned above include CelcomDigi Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM), U Mobile Sdn Bhd, and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YES).

In its clarification statement, Maxis stated that the quote purportedly attributed to one of its staff members in the article does not reflect its stance as one of the MNOs.

“Maxis is always supportive of competition and is fully aligned with the government’s decision on the 5G delivery model,” it added.