Malaysia Builds Momentum in 5G and Mobile Growth

Malaysia has a robust telecommunications infrastructure and a competitive mobile market. According to GSMA Intelligence, Malaysia had 43.3 million cellular mobile connections at the start of 2025. It is important to note that many individuals use more than one mobile connection, such as one for personal use and another for work, so the total number of mobile connections often exceeds the population. The growing adoption of eSIMs has further simplified the use of multiple connections on a single device.

In fact, GSMA Intelligence data shows that, as of January 2025, mobile connections in Malaysia were equivalent to 121% of the country’s total population.

Looking at recent trends, mobile connections grew by 474,000, an increase of 1.1%, between the start of 2024 and early 2025. Additionally, 99.0% of mobile connections in Malaysia are now classified as broadband, meaning they connect through 3G, 4G, or 5G networks.

However, it is worth noting that not all devices on broadband-capable networks actively use mobile data. Some connections may be limited to voice and SMS services only, so this broadband percentage should not be interpreted as a direct indicator of mobile internet usage.

As part of its broader economic development efforts, Malaysia has actively promoted open competition in the telecommunications sector. This approach has led to high penetration rates in both mobile and mobile broadband services, along with near-universal LTE coverage. Since the launch of 5G in 2022, adoption has grown rapidly, with 5G making up 38 % of all mobile broadband subscriptions by September 2024.

The major mobile operators in Malaysia are CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, YTL Communications (YES), and Unifi Mobile. These operators have been actively involved in the rollout of Malaysia's national 5G network and are key players in the country's telecommunications landscape. 

To maintain consistent 5G service quality, Malaysia’s mobile operators continue to utilise the state-owned 5G network operated by Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). In May 2023, Malaysian authorities announced plans to transition to a dual 5G network model once DNB reached 80% population coverage, a milestone that was achieved in December 2023.

This shift marked a significant policy change, including the revocation of a 2021 ministerial directive that had previously appointed DNB as the sole entity responsible for Malaysia’s 5G rollout.

DNB was established by the government in 2021 as a special-purpose vehicle tasked with developing the national 5G infrastructure. Its network, deployed by Ericsson, is currently used by private telcos to deliver 5G services to consumers and businesses.

As of now, the major mobile operators in Malaysia provide 5G services through DNB’s state-run network. These include CelcomDigi, Maxis, YTL Communications (Yes 5G), and U Mobile. Each of these operators, except for Telekom Malaysia which had its equity deal cancelled, holds a 16.3% equity stake in DNB. The Ministry of Finance retains a 34% share.

CelcomDigi holds a 30.1% market share in the Malaysian telecommunications sector. This is a significant increase from 2023, following the merger between Celcom and Digi in November 2022. The merged entity has become the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia, surpassing its closest rival, Maxis.

Currently, it serves over 20 million customers, two-thirds of the Malaysian population, through 6.7 million postpaid and 13.4 million prepaid subscribers. CelcomDigi operates the widest 4G network, covering over 96 % of the population nationwide from approximately 24,000 network sites and has an extensive fibre network of around 15,000 kilometres.

CelcomDigi and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to introduce AI-driven network analytics across CelcomDigi’s infrastructure, aiming to enhance operational efficiency as 5G adoption continues to rise in Malaysia. As part of the agreement, both companies will collaborate on the development of intent-based autonomous networks, integrating AI and automation to improve network performance and efficiency. They also plan to explore the use of AI in building advanced 5G service assurance solutions, with the goal of delivering more reliable and tailored connectivity experiences for both businesses and consumers.

According to Ericsson, Malaysia registered 18.2 million 5G subscriptions as of the end of 2024, which equates to a market penetration rate of 53.4%.

CelcomDigi also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ZTE to collaborate on integrating AI technologies into its telecommunications infrastructure. The companies plan to explore AI-driven solutions such as new calling, intelligent deep packet inspection for smarter network traffic management, and intelligent operations and maintenance to automate network monitoring and maintenance using AI-powered predictive analytics.

Maxis is the second largest operator in Malaysia. Maxis operates one of the most reliable 4G LTE networks in the country, reaching over 95% of the population. With Malaysia's ongoing 5G rollout under the DNB single wholesale network model, Maxis was initially cautious in adopting the new structure. However, in 2023, Maxis signed an access agreement with DNB, enabling it to begin offering 5G services.

According to Opensignal, Maxis was the first Malaysian operator to win the Reliability Experience award. It also won the Consistent Quality award with 67.3% of tests, closely followed by Digi with 67.1%. Since the last report, Maxis’ Consistent Quality score has improved by 11 percentage points.

U Mobile, despite being a smaller operator, has announced plans to build Malaysia's second 5G network, aiming to rival the first built by DNB. The decision follows government approval for a second 5G network in a move to end the monopoly previously held by DNB. U Mobile has chosen Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE as technology partners for this project.

The enterprise-grade 5G network will support 5G Advanced and network slicing from day one, enabling tailored services for industries like healthcare, transport, and smart cities. U Mobile’s rollout emphasises improved indoor 5G coverage and prioritises key locations such as transport hubs, medical centres and data centres. U Mobile has stated it will continue working with DNB to ensure quality of service during the transition.

Unifi Mobile is a Malaysian internet mobile network operator and a subsidiary of the national telephone company, Telekom Malaysia. Unifi performed well in the recent Opensignal report, winning the 5G Download Speed Award with speeds of 290.3 Mbps. In the previous report, there had been a three-way tie but Unifi has now emerged as the sole winner. Unifi also won the 5G Video Experience Award with a score of 77.7 on a 100-point scale, more than two points higher than Digi.

Yes Mobile is operated by YTL Communications Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhad, a leading Malaysian infrastructure conglomerate. Launched in November 2010, Yes Mobile was the fifth mobile operator in Malaysia and distinguished itself by deploying an all-IP, all-4G network from the outset.

In December 2021, Yes Mobile became the first operator in Malaysia to launch 5G services, branded as Yes FT5G. This rollout was facilitated through a partnership with DNB. Yes Mobile's 5G services initially covered areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Cyberjaya.

The Yes network is built with an all-IP architecture, making it the first and only all-4G and all-IP network provider in Malaysia capable of offering unique services such as user ID-based unified communications and session concurrency for mobile data and telephony services. Yes operates its own network infrastructure in Malaysia, with close to 5,000 base stations and an all-4G network footprint reaching over 85% of the population.

As Malaysia continues to expand its 5G infrastructure, mobile operators are in active competition and are poised to integrate next-generation technologies into their offerings.

Related Posts: 

• Private Networks Technology Blog: ZTE's Award-Winning Minimalist Private 5G-A Solution
• Operator Watch Blog: Malaysia is a Land of Competition with Plenty of Mobile Networks to Choose from
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Malaysia Looks at Small Cells for 5G
• Operator Watch Blog: Malaysia Decides on Innovative Approach for 5G Spectrum 

Malaysia is a Land of Competition with Plenty of Mobile Networks to Choose from

As part of a diverse range of initiatives designed to move the country from developing to developed status by 2025, Malaysia has enabled and encouraged open competition in its telecommunications market. The result is very high penetration levels in both the mobile (147%) and mobile broadband (127%) segments, and near-universal coverage of 4G LTE networks. The incumbent landline operator Telekom Malaysia retains an almost monopolistic hold on the fixed-line market as well as a significant lead in fixed broadband. But even here, steady growth is occurring as more fibre optic cable networks are being deployed around the country on top of Telekom Malaysia’s national backbone.

Consumers are the main beneficiaries of the highly competitive market. They enjoy widespread access to high-speed mobile services as well as attractive offers on bundles to keep data use up but prices low. The downside is that most of Malaysia’s MNOs and MVNOs have struggled to increase revenue in line with growth in subscriber numbers as well as demand for broadband data. While the operators have been very successful in moving a significant proportion (now over 30%) of customers from prepaid over to higher-value postpaid accounts, ARPU continues to fall year after year as a result of competitive pricing pressures. 

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the government’s next move to encourage the private mobile operators to sign up to the country’s wholesale 5G network being built by Ericsson for the government-owned and operated Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). This special-purpose vehicle company was established by the Ministry of Finance to undertake the development and deployment of Malaysia’s 5G infrastructure across the country. The government’s stated intent was to avoid duplication of networks and infrastructure, and thus reduce investment costs for the operators. But with DNB being Malaysia’s single wholesale 5G network provider, the MNOs have been reluctant to commit due to having limited opportunity to differentiate their 5G services and being somewhat at the mercy of the wholesaler’s pricing. To date, no MNO has agreed to the deal and are instead demanding the development of a dual wholesale network model (one that no doubt offers more flexible terms, at least in the eyes of the MNOs). Malaysia’s 5G rollout has, in effect, come to a standstill while the government tries to find a way to restart negotiations.

In the most recent Open Signal report on Malaysia, the mobile network experience of users in Malaysia across six major networks is analysed: Celcom, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile, Unifi and Yes, over the period of 90 days between June 1, 2022, and August 29, 2022, to see how they stack up on different aspects of mobile experience. 5G measurements contribute to the overall experience scores. In addition to the national analysis, the mobile network experience across Malaysia's major provinces is examined .

Open Signal saw mixed fortunes, with each of the six operators winning at least one award category outright. Digi and Maxis take home the largest share of awards. While Digi is the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience and Excellent Consistent Quality awards, Maxis wins Games Experience outright and is a joint winner in a further two categories — with Digi in Video Experience and with U Mobile in Voice App Experience. U Mobile is next on the list as it wins the Upload Speed Experience award. Meanwhile, Celcom reigns supreme on 4G Coverage Experience, Yes is top for Availability and Unifi leads in Core Consistent Quality. Overall, these results highlight the importance of measuring multiple factors that contribute to a good mobile network experience rather than just focusing on speed.

Celcom claims to be the largest private mobile network operator with over 14 million users on its 2G and 4G networks. At the moment, the operator says it has 96.21% 4G population coverage nationwide and has invested over RM1 billion into its 4G network in the past 18 months. As shared during its recent H1 2022 report, the average data consumption by Celcom customers is 24.2GB per month.

Celcom has started its friendly 5G user trials with selected customers. Eligible Celcom customers will be able to access 5G for free until further notice and will also get to access 5G roaming in 15 countries.

Plans for a merger of Celcom and Digi were first confirmed back in June 2021, with a formal application for the merger subsequently lodged with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in November 2021. With the local telecoms regulator having confirmed its approval for the deal in June 2022, it was noted that this was subject to a number of undertakings that the two operators had submitted after the MCMC in April 2022 raised potential issues that could arise from the tie-up. Upon completion, Axiata and Telenor will each hold equal ownership of 33.1% in the new merged company, which will be named Celcom Digi Berhad and will continue to be listed on Bursa Malaysia.

Maxis is the first operator in Malaysia to provide its customers with 5G international roaming services in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. The 5G roaming service will be activated automatically on any 5G-enabled device.

The DNB was set up last year by the Malaysian government to speed up the deployment of 5G services across the country.

The new company has sought to partner with all six of the main operators in the country -- Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia, YTL Communications, Celcom Axiata, and DiGi, and all take equity stakes in a state-controlled 5G single wholesale network run by the DNB.

All six of the operators agreed to the proposals last month, after being offered a combined 70 percent stake in DNB, dependent on all six operators agreeing to the terms. However Maxis and U Mobile pulled out at the last minute, as neither saw benefits to the agreement, although both 'want to remain in talks for access to DNB's 5G network'.

Operators have been sceptical of the proposals put forward by the DNB, with many initially reluctant to agree to the plans, but the DNB has insisted its 5G strategy will keep costs lower and speed up the deployment of 5G services in the country, which has faced regular delays.

The DNB says the rollout will cost RM16.5 billion ($3.7bn) for the next decade, with Ericsson selected as the network equipment provider.

In their quest to become Malaysia’s preferred digital operator, U Mobile have introduced many first-of-its-kind digital services to the market such as telco assurance products. U Mobile also has a comprehensive fintech ecosystem offering that consists of GoPayz, a universal e-wallet which offers consumers digital financial and lifestyle services, and GoBiz, a digital payment acceptance solution designed for businesses both big and small.

Being the youngest telco also means U Mobile has the most modern network infrastructure that enables us to scale up based on demand in the most efficient way. Our award-winning robust network is also ready for 5G and beyond and they are committed to continue investing in our network so that our customers will always enjoy a superior network experience.

U Mobile is the first operator to offer a massive 1,000GB (1TB) of high-speed 4G/5G-ready data with its new U Postpaid 98. Customers are able to experience true worry-free connectivity at just RM98. U Postpaid 98 customers can also share their huge 1,000GB of high-speed data and unlimited calls with up to 6 family members for only RM38 per line, making it the most unbeatable family option in the market today. Customers shopping for a new 5G device also have the option of getting the device on instalment with 0% monthly interest via U Mobile’s U PayLater, or with U SaveMore, which offers more savings on device.

In 2016, Telekom Malaysia and P1 now called Webe officially launched after its predecessor, TMgo, based on 4G/LTE-only running at 850 MHz (band 5) as well as TD-LTE bands 38 and 40 that are able to deliver download speeds up to 20 Mbps. This was closed later and relaunched as 'unifi Mobile' with 3G roaming included.

Yes by YTL Corporation started in 2010 and now covers more than 85% of population by 4G/LTE only on the West Malaysian Peninsula, but are rolling out networks in major cities in Sabah and Sarawak. Yes currently running on FD-LTE and TD-LTE on 800 MHz (Band 20), 2300 MHz (Band 38) and 2600 MHz (Band 40). 

When it comes to coverage, Yes is awarded the best for availability with users connected to 4G and above 98.8% of the time. At the moment, Yes is also the first and only telco to offer 5G coverage via Digital Nasional Berhad. This is followed closely behind by U Mobile at 98%, Maxis at 96.7%, Digi at 96.1%, Celcom at 96% and Unifi Mobile at 95%. Opensignal has stated that the availability metric is not a measure of a network’s geographical extent and it shouldn’t be used as an indicator if you are likely to get a signal if you visit a remote rural or uninhabited region.

Related Posts:

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Malaysia Looks at Small Cells for 5G
• Operator Watch Blog: Malaysia Decides on Innovative Approach for 5G Spectrum
• Operator Watch Blog - Malaysia: 5G Trials and Updates
• Operator Watch Blog - Malaysia: Challenges of 4G 

Malaysia: 5G Trials and Updates

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has said the optimisation of the existing 4G network is essential before the country can achieve the adoption of 5G network.

While the 5G Taskforce was established by the commission in November 2018, with the aims of exploring practical uses and modes of 5G, as well as to learn and iron out policies, regulations and spectrum planning for 5G, MCMC said full adoption may only take place in a few years’ time. MCMC said in a statement.:

“Thus, what is essential today is for the current network architecture to be fully enhanced and optimised to address congestion and manage high bandwidth. Malaysia’s current network suffers from low throughput of 9 megabit per second (Mbps) or 36% below average during certain times of the day, as a result of congestion or bottlenecks between network elements, i.e. the radio interface and core network,”

This is due to a partially fiberised end-to-end network architecture, and only 40% of the Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) are fully fiberised. Accordingly to MCMC currently, the average 4G download speed in Malaysia stands at 21.1Mbps. 

MCMC chief digital officer Gerard K M Lim said 5G technology promises 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) per user and if the core network upgrade work is overlooked, the same throughput issue will continue to plague the country.

Lim said there would be a potential bottleneck or congestion point between BTS and the core network and therefore, the telecommunication providers must ensure that current 4G access is optimised and at the same time, prepare for the upcoming 5G requirements.

“Ultimately, the goal is to ensure positive customer experience, when it comes to connectivity without any congestion issues."

No doubt 5G connectivity has the potential to grow the economy by delivering the next generation of digital services, said MCMC, adding that technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality and massive machine communications will rely on the future deployment of 5G.

MCMC also released a report and THE DRAFT NATIONAL FIBERISATION AND CONNECTIVITY PLAN (‘DRAFT NFCP’) 

The Draft NFCP sets out, among others, the targets, action plans and strategies to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. The 5-year plan aims to:

i. address issues that hinder the widespread availability of high quality and affordable

digital connectivity;

ii. support the needs of the country moving forward and harness opportunities offered by

new services / technologies; and

iii. provide clarity in terms of strategic directions for initiatives to support the digital

economy and adoption of future technology. 

Source.

Initially, the Draft NFCP outlined 17 targets to be achieved through four (4) action plans:

A. Ensure optimum deployment of digital infrastructure

         1. Average speed of 30 Mbps in 98% of populated areas;

         2. 100% premises passed in State Capitals and selected high impact areas with up

             to 500 Mbps;

         3. 20% of premises passed in sub-urban and rural areas with up to 500Mbps;

         4. Fibre network passes 70% of schools and government offices, hospitals and police

             stations near schools;

         5. Gigabits availability in selected industrial areas and to all State Capitals;

         6. Phasing out of copper network;

         7. Assessment of technical standards that should be mandated for infrastructure

             deployment;

         8. Allocation of 700MHz and reallocation of 2300MHz and 2600MHz;

         9. Mobile coverage along Pan Borneo highway upon completion;

        10. Submarine Cable Landing Centres (‘SCLC’) in Sabah & Sarawak to link directly to

              international cables; and

        11. Policy position on 5G related issues.

B. Provision of affordable services and improve quality to drive the digital economy

        12. Entry level fixed broadband package at 1% of Gross National Income (‘GNI’);

        13. Double the speed at half the price; and

        14. Yearly publication of Quality of Service Report.

C. Promote competition

        15. Extension of liberalisation in key strategic activities.

D. Participation in the digital economy

        16. 100 rural e-commerce fulfilment centres; and

        17. Quality of Service for courier service. 

These initial targets and action plans were prepared based on initial consultations with limited stakeholders as well as from the initial targets announced by the Minister at the “Malaysia : A New Dawn Conference” in October 2018.

In November last year, MCMC established a 5G task force to explore the practical uses and modes of 5G as well as to iron out policies, regulations and spectrum planning of 5G.

Telecommunications providers have been urged to be prepared for the upcoming 5G requirements.

Maxis Bhd has in collaboration with Huawei kicked off the first 5G live trials in Malaysia, specifically in Cyberjaya earlier this week.

The trials will be conducted over six months and are expected to provide a deeper analysis of 5G characteristics, Maxis said in a statement today.

This includes the use of spectrum in higher bands, co-existence with current services, as well as use cases such as Gigabit high speed mobile internet and ultra high-definition virtual reality applications.

"During the trial so far, Maxis recorded close to 3GB per second download speed," they said in the statement.

The trial follows the recent announcement by the government that Cyberjaya and Putrajaya will become the first smart cities in Malaysia to experience 5G technology. According to Maxis:

"Once available, 5G is expected to provide speeds up to ten times higher than what 4G network can do today for applications such as Ultra High-Definition VR and 360 degree viewing. It will also open up new use cases in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and drones," 

Malaysia's national telco Telekom Malaysia (TM) is also in the first stages of testing 5G connectivity in the country. The test will be conducted via their internet service provider division Unifi and the first location will be in the town of Puchong in the Petaling Jaya district. Currently, the telco's LTE network is capable of speeds up to 200Mbps, but with the implementation of pre-5G, the speeds will be boosted up to 500Mbps. The Executive Vice President of Unifi Moharmustaqeem Mohammed stated that the transition to 5G will be done seamlessly and customers will not have to change their current packages or equipment.

U Mobile have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ZTE to support its 5G deployment goals in Malaysia. This will include various 5G related developments including live testing, 5G showcases as well as Massive MIMO implementation.

According to U Mobile, they have a long standing working relationship with ZTE and it is a logical next step to continue to collaborate on initiatives related to 5G. According to the telco’s CEO, Wong Heang Tuck, U Mobile will be working closely with ZTE to conduct live tests in selected areas in KL city so that Malaysians can experience the power of 5G first hand.

Finally Celcom Axiata Berhad, Malaysia’s leading data network provider, has signed an agreement with Ericsson to expand and upgrade its LTE network in Malaysia. As part of this, Ericsson will supply Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its Ericsson Radio System portfolio to help Celcom serve the growing demand for data services in Malaysia. Ericsson’s RAN equipment will also serve as a platform to help Celcom evolve its network to 5G in the coming years.

Mohamad Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad, says:

“We have been at the forefront of providing our customers with the best data experience, and remain committed to evolve our network with the latest technologies. This partnership is strategic as it will not only help us further expand our LTE footprint but create the base for the launch of 5G services. We will continue to drive technology innovations in Malaysia to bring the latest services, and to enable all Malaysians to participate in the digital economy.” 

In 2017, Ericsson and Celcom performed Malaysia's first ever 5G trial, pioneering the evolution of the nation's telecommunications technology. It was the first 5G trial conducted on the 28 GHz band in South East Asia.

Malaysia: Challenges of 4G

It has been more than 5 years since 4G LTE was officially rolled out in Malaysia. Today, there are six 4G LTE operators in the country and the cost of data is so much more affordable than before. The mobile operators are – Maxis, Celcom Axiata, DiGi, Webe, U Mobile and Yes. In May 2017 Celcom Axiata carried out what is claimed to be Malaysia’s first 5G trial. The test was also said to have demonstrated futuristic 5G use cases, such as robotic control, connected environment, virtual reality, Internet of Things (IoT) applications and 4K video streaming.

Although 4G technology is available 74.88% of the time to Malaysians, its speed leaves much to be desired. According to a report by OpenSignal, a company that specialises in wireless coverage mapping, the 4G speed in the country is only 14.83Mbps.

With that, OpenSignal ranks Malaysia as one of the lowest 20 countries in the list which was led by Singapore at 44.31 Mbps while India being ranked last due its 6.07 Mbps download speed.

However,  LTE availability in Malaysia was more promising. The report pointed out that the LTE connectivity in the country can be accessed 74.88% of the time throughout Q4 2017. While it is better than Algeria which occupy the bottom of the list due its 40.94% rating, Malaysia is nowhere near South Korea whereby users were able to achieve LTE connection 97.49% of the time.

According Open Signal test results regarding the highest 4G/3G download speeds and the lowest latency for both 4G and 3G among operators: Maxis comes out on top overall. 

Coming in at second place is Yes. When it comes to 4G, Yes records an incredibly high 93.18% availability followed by Maxis at 80.45%. OpenSignal notes that 4G availability isn’t a representation of geographic or population coverage, but rather how often its users are connected to a 4G network. It is worth mentioning that Yes itself runs on a pure 4G network so if it goes out of coverage, there’s no 3G or 2G network to fall back on. Yes also records the highest overall average download speed of 19.03Mbps and it isn’t surprising since its users are connected only on 4G, while other telcos have samples measured on 3G.

If we look at the rest, Celcom (16.15Mbps) takes 3rd place followed by Digi (11.77Mbps) on 4th and U Mobile (7.2Mbps) at 5th place for 4G downloads. Webe (or now known as UniFi) is ranked the lowest at 6.76Mbps. When it comes to 3G, 2nd place goes to Celcom (2.9Mbps) followed by U Mobile (2.78Mbps) and Digi (2.58Mbps).

You can read the full OpenSignal report here.

Malaysia Mobile Operator Overview

As of March 2011, the penetration rate in Malaysia was estimated at 117.635% over a population estimate of around 29 million.

Source.

Malaysia has 12 MVNOs and counting. Source.

In Malaysia, an interesting trend observed is that smaller mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs)  have been steadily eroding prepaid market share from the Big Three cellular providers Maxis Bhd (Maxis),  Celcom Axiata Bhd (Celcom) and DiGi.Com Bhd (DiGi).

Malaysia’s rate of 140 per cent exceeds that of developed markets such as South Korea with 111 per cent and Taiwan’s rate of 127 per cent, and is among the highest in Asia.

In fact, it pointed out that Malaysia is closing fast on the gap with Hong Kong (230 per cent), Singapore (152 per cent) and Vietnam (149 per cent), the only three countries which have higher mobile penetration.
Source