GSMA is impressed by Malaysia’s efforts to roll out 5G. Source: Shutterstock
GSMA believes Malaysia is on the right track with its 5G deployment plan
MALAYSIA is making a great deal of effort to roll out 5G quickly and effectively in the country because it understands the impact the technology will have on people’s lives as well as on businesses.
Recently, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) hosted the 5G Malaysia International Conference 2020 where experts, distinguished speakers, and senior executives exchanged knowledge, experience, ideas, and insights on nurturing and accelerating the adoption of 5G services and applications.
At the event, GSMA Head of APAC Julian Gorman told Tech Wire Asia that the progress that Malaysia is making with 5G is impressive.
“We’re encouraged by the approach we’re seeing in Malaysia where MCMC is engaging in consultations with the industry to build viable ecosystems. That’s what truly unleashes the power of 5G — after all, there’s more to the technology than just being faster or having lower latency.”
According to Gorman, in the APAC or anywhere else in the world, regulators need to take a proactive approach in order to help successfully facilitate the deployment of 5G.
“Building the ecosystem has to start now.”
The GSMA executive agrees that the reality is that on day one, when the technology is actually launched commercially, the biggest impact will be in the entertainment space. That’s what people are most looking forward to.
However, the association’s research arm forecasts that by 2035, the economic impact of 5G on the Asia Pacific will be worth about US$900 billion — about half of which will come from manufacturing and utilities.
Of course, from the digital economy point of view, the 5G journey is quite long. There’s a lot of things that can be done on 4G, which 5G enhances — in agriculture as well as in other industries.
The approach that Malaysia is taking, involves facilitating trials of 5G-based use cases, and is something that GSMA believes will really help move the needle when it comes to adoption.
In the region, Malaysia is definitely making quick progress. However, countries like South Korea and China are definitely ahead of the curve.
Gorman believes this is because both of those countries worked with industry partners to facilitate massive simultaneous launches within their own countries.
“Doing such a thing signals to the market that the technology is here and ready to go. This is what kickstarts the ecosystem for the industry and for innovators.”
Ultimately, GSMA and other industry associations believe that countries that are taking the ecosystem approach to deployment will benefit the most because that’s how the greatest value can be unlocked. That’s the key to success with the technology.
Soumik Roy is a business and technology specialist. He helps small and medium enterprise owners understand what's most important to their company's growth and success.
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