Cybersecurity

Malaysia’s 5G Plan Follows China’s Path for Cheap Airwaves

  • U.S. imposed ‘no pressure’ to avoid Huawei, regulator says
  • Spectrum to be awarded via tender after April, Al-Ishsal says
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Malaysia is offering airwaves for 5G networks at little cost to carriers to reduce the investment needed for the speedier wireless service, a model followed by China in its rollout of the technology last year.

The government will forgo revenue from spectrum auctions and instead will allocate airwaves to a consortium of carriers via a tender starting after April, Al-Ishsal Ishak, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chairman, said in an interview. Commercial 5G services may be available in the country by the third quarter this year, according to a January presentation by the commission.