DNB well regulated by MCMC - Zahidi
The operations of Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) as the sole 5G wholesale service operator are strictly regulated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), said Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia Zahidi Zainul Abidin .
He said, among others, MCMC imposed conditions that prohibited DNB from engaging in retail activities and that to ensure that the cost of wholesale services offered by DNB was at a reasonable level, the commission also set...
The operations of Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) as the sole 5G wholesale service operator are strictly regulated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), said Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia Zahidi Zainul Abidin .
He said, among others, MCMC imposed conditions that prohibited DNB from engaging in retail activities and that to ensure that the cost of wholesale services offered by DNB was at a reasonable level, the commission also set some conditions in the licence regarding DNB's responsibilities related to access costs.
"In addition, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 also empowers MCMC to set mandatory wholesale prices through the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing if MCMC intervention through this approach is required to ensure affordable service prices can be given to consumers for 5G services," he said.
He was replying to a question from Dr Xavier Jayakumar (Independent-Kuala Langat) regarding the impact analysis on the implementation of the 5G technology transition as a whole, during the question-and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat, today.
DNB is a special purpose company (SPV) set up by the Finance Ministry to carry out 5G projects.
Zahidi (above) said the journey of 5G technology in Malaysia began when the country successfully demonstrated 71 cases of 5G use through the 5G Demonstration Projects (5GDP) conducted from October 2019 until the end of last year at 50 sites (live sites) across six states, namely Kedah, Pahang, Perak, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
He said the demonstration projects focused on nine industry sectors, namely smart cities; entertainment/media; oil and gas; tourism; manufacturing and processing; education; smart transportation; digital healthcare and agriculture through the support and commitment of telecommunications and multimedia industry players with an investment contribution of RM131 million.
“These 5G demonstration projects were for enabling a comprehensive and high-impact 5G network and services to be planned. This is also in line with the capabilities of 5G technology which is more focused on enterprise and industrial sector users, compared to ordinary users,” he said.
- Bernama
