Changing Bandwagons: Government SPV To Lead 5G Implementation

On 19 February 2021, the Prime Minister of Malaysia announced at the launch of the MyDigital and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint that Malaysia's 5G spectrum will be rolled out in stages from end-2021. At the same time, the Prime Minister announced that the provision of 5G infrastructure in the country will be led by Digital Nasional Bhd ("SPV"), a special purpose vehicle wholly-owned by the Malaysian Government and regulated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ("MCMC"). The SPV will be allocated the appropriate 5G spectrum and will build, own and manage the 5G infrastructure and lease spectrum to telecos that wish to provide 5G services.
 
We previously wrote about the 5G implementation efforts in Malaysia in our article, Jumping Back onto the 5G Bandwagon, which can be read here. A brief summary of the previous 5G implementation efforts in Malaysia is set out as follows: