Ericsson ready to help roll out 5G in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Multinational telecommunications firm Ericsson is ready to help Malaysia roll out the fifth-generation (5G) technology.
Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh president Todd Ashton said he expected Malaysia to be ready for 5G commercially by 2021 or 2022.
However, Malaysia would need to strengthen its 4G platform first, he said.
“When we talk about 5G, the first thing to look into is the existing ecosystem. At this time, we are experiencing a lack of resources and industry players. Therefore, Malaysia needs the right framework to explore 5G potential.
“As the leader in 4G and 5G technologies, Ericsson is the preferred partner for operators in Malaysia and we will work with the government,” he said in an interview recently.
In May 2017, Ericsson and Celcom Axiata Bhd carried out a 5G signal test in Malaysia.
“Ericsson will hold demonstrations at the Malaysia 5G exhibition in Putrajaya (on April 18-21). The demonstrations will outline the capabilities of 5G, such as large bandwidth and ultra-low latency, which are expected to drive new uses.”
The 5G mobile network is expected to contribute more than 24 per cent, or RM12.2 billion, of operator revenue by 2026.
Todd said Ericsson shifted to 5G by acquiring 18 commercial 5G contracts and signing memoranda of understanding with telecommunication operators and global institutions.
Ericsson is also the main driver in the 5G standardisation process. It is a major contributor to the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and had the most widely-approved work papers on 4G and 5G between 2006 and 2017.
“Ericsson had 50,000 jobs to develop 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G for more than 15,000 companies.”