Putrajaya, 15 April 2025 - U Mobile today named Huawei Malaysia and ZTE Malaysia as its technology partners for Malaysia’s Next Gen 5G network, in a signing ceremony witnessed by YB Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Communications Minister of Malaysia, and Li Lecheng, Party Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). Huawei and ZTE will be crucial partners to the company’s network goals. U Mobile targets to achieve 80% coverage of populated areas within the first 12 months of commencing its network deployment, and 90% coverage of populated areas in the subsequent 12 months. This is in line with the company’s overall strategy to expedite the nation’s adoption of 5G and 5G-A, with a particular focus on supporting enterprises.
Prior to the media briefing, there was a signing ceremony where Chairman of U Mobile, Tan Sri Vincent Tan in his speech, shared that the company is grateful for the MADANI Government of Malaysia particularly the Ministry of Communications and, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), for its confidence in U Mobile and leadership in introducing the 5G Dual Network model.
The MADANI government’s foresight of introducing a 5G Dual Network model will also allow for greater industry participation, encouraging healthy competition, spurring innovation, which will lead to quality and service improvements. The company looks forward to building Malaysia’s Next Gen 5G network to drive growth, spark innovation, and set new standards for success in Malaysia’s digital economy.
During the media briefing, U Mobile shared that their Next Gen 5G network that is enterprise-grade will enhance customers’ total experience as it features the most advanced and future-proofed hardware and software technology. U Mobile’s Next Gen 5G network will have cutting-edge network capabilities, future-ready infrastructure, efficient network structure and robust network security and resilience.
U Mobile believes its Next Gen 5G network that is enterprise-grade will also meet the diverse needs of organisations and applications with 5G-Advanced and network slicing available from the start of rollout. In addition, U Mobile is also looking to increase the number of indoor sites to enhance 5G in-building coverage, which is currently limited.
The company also highlighted that the country’s newest Next Gen 5G network will prioritise key focus areas such as transportation hubs, medical and sports facilities, smart cities and data centres. The deployment would also include 5G indoor coverage in all areas of the building.
“U Mobile is honoured to have received the MADANI government and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) trust in implementing Malaysia’s newest Next Gen 5G network. We believe our Next Gen 5G network that is enterprise-grade will improve Malaysia’s total 5G and 5G-A experience, be it for consumers or enterprises. We will also increase competition in the industry by providing more options at a wholesale level. Most importantly, we look forward to spurring innovation and adoption of solutions,” said U Mobile’s Chief Technology Officer, Woon Ooi Yuen.
Huawei Malaysia and ZTE Malaysia will play a key role in supporting U Mobile’s network success. As U Mobile’s technology partners, the companies are committed to bring a robust and high-quality 5G and 5G-A experience to both consumers and enterprises. The companies have shown to have the latest technology capabilities and expertise with proven success globally, along with the capabilities to meet U Mobile’s aggressive timelines, following a competitive, extensive and transparent tender process.
“We started this selection process last year with invitations to tender, sent out to network equipment and software provider companies from all regions. Ultimately, only two Chinese companies responded and we are delighted to work with Huawei and ZTE on this significant endeavour. Apart from their global technology track record, they have also shared vision for an efficient and rapid rollout. U Mobile is looking forward to Huawei and ZTE playing a critical role in bringing a Next Gen 5G network that is enterprise-grade to Malaysians rapidly,” said Woon.
“Huawei has consistently been recognised as a global leader in the 5G market with GlobalData naming us a leader for six consecutive years, as well as being ranked first globally in the number of 5G patents owned. Our unique 5G MetaAAU solution that adopts the industry’s latest Massive-MIMO technology has transformed the ICT landscape by being technologically advanced 24 months ahead of other solutions in the market. We are honoured by the trust placed in us and we pledge to work hard to fulfil, as well as rise above and beyond, our obligations. Together with U Mobile, we aim to build a bespoke 5G-A ready network, providing differentiated 5G and 5G-A experiences to people, homes and industries. Our end-to-end ICT solutions enable an ecosystem that synergises technologies for businesses from hardware, software, green energy, cloud and smart devices that expand vertical business growth, as well as nurture and grow local 5G-A talents. We look forward to accelerating digital transformation to support Malaysia’s digital economy and shape the D.N.A. for an intelligent future,” said Simon Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Malaysia.
“ZTE is pleased to be the technology partner of U Mobile and is honoured to play a crucial role in shaping Malaysia’s 5G landscape. This partnership continues our journey of building the nation's telecommunications evolution — from 2G through 3G and 4G, and now into the 5G era. As a leading innovator in the global telecommunications industry, ZTE’s 5G CommonCore and Radio Access Network (RAN) solutions were recognised as industry “Leaders” by GlobalData, Gartner, and Omdia. We remain dedicated to delivering cutting-edge innovations to the region, exemplified by the introduction of 5G-A, which set a new industry benchmark and earned ZTE and U Mobile a place in the Malaysia Book of Records. Our strong commitment to supporting Malaysia’s digitalisation and its ASEAN Chairmanship is further demonstrated through our Minimalist Private 5G-A Solution, deployed during SUKMA 2024, which was honoured with the GSMA Foundry Innovation Award at the GLOMO Awards 2025.We look forward to continuing our collaboration with U Mobile, as we work together to realise Malaysia's vision of becoming a regional digital leader,” said Steven Ge, Managing Director of ZTE Malaysia.
For more information, please visit www.u.com.my/nextgen5G
