The Malaysian government said it is working to get all operators to buy shares in its 5G Agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) this month, after Maxis and U Mobile reportedly declined the offer earlier this week, reported Reuters.
The government planned to sign up Axiata, Maxis, U Mobile, Celcom, Telekom Malaysia and YTL, to take a collective stake 70% stake in DNB, a company set up by the government that will offer players 5G wholesale services to deploy the next generation technology evenly and efficiently.
All operators were meant to have signed up by August 31.
Malaysia’s finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told news agency Bernama the withdrawal of Maxis and U Mobile would likely delay the country’s 5G deployment, as the other operators would have to renegotiate new stakes in DNB. The minister also added the government is considering selling DNB shares to foreign interested parties.
The shared network access concept through the 5G agency has been under fire since being unveiled by the government last year, with operators hitting back at being assigned space on a national 5G network, instead of acquiring their own spectrum.
