Malaysia has accelerated its journey towards industry 4.0 with the 10-year partnership between the country’s Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) and Ericsson to deliver a nationwide 5G single wholesale network, as 5G will power innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and automation across various industries.
Furthermore, the deployment of the nationwide next-generation wireless cellular technology in Malaysia is expected to increase the number of IoT use cases in the country.
"DNB is committed to delivering the best technology and innovation opportunities for Malaysians, businesses and government to ensure that Malaysia takes its place at the forefront of the global digital economy. We identified Ericsson to offer the best next generation 5G technology and professional services available to suit DNB's specific and unique requirements,” said Ralph Marshall, chief executive officer of DNB.
DNB is tasked by the Malaysian government to deploy 5G infrastructure across the country to accelerate its digital transportation. Under this mandate, DNB will provide access and services to mobile service providers and others licensed by the regulators to enable a world-class 5G experience and make Industry 4.0 a reality in Malaysia.
DNB aims to launch Malaysia's first 5G network in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya in the initial phase. Ericsson's local presence and deployment expertise are key to meeting DNB's target of 80% 5G nationwide population coverage by 2024.
An end-to-end 5G network
Under its exclusive partnership with DNB, Ericsson will provide an end-to-end 5G network, spanning the delivery of energy-efficient Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, including Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, a software for wide-area 5G coverage.
The scope also includes cloud-native 5G Core and 5G Radio Access (RAN) nationwide. Ericsson will also manage the unique requirements of a single wholesale network with its leading Managed Services offering, Ericsson Operations Engine. The solution will enhance the performance of DNB's network using AI , automation and cognitive software to predict and prevent issues.
Ericsson's end-to-end scope also includes operational support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS) solutions.
"With a 56-year legacy of contributing to Malaysia's development, we are excited to be extending our commitment to the nation. Ericsson is confident that with our global 5G leadership and strong deployment capabilities, we will meet the deployment targets set by DNB,” said David Hägerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
He pointed out that Ericsson’s participation in the national 5G project will see direct and indirect socio-economic contributions in areas such as job creation, partnership with Bumiputera and other local contractors and ecosystem players, and knowledge and capacity building in Malaysia.
"5G is a platform for open innovation and is becoming the cornerstone upon which a country's competitiveness is built. Malaysia's and DNB's commitment to accelerating the deployment of 5G is to be congratulated, as it will speed up the adoption of 5G nationally, bridge the digital divide and transform the nation. 5G will help to facilitate the government's ambition to promote Malaysians to become technology creators through development of 5G applications and use cases,” said Hägerbro.
