Malaysia, Thailand boost development of 5G services

Malaysia’s own security standards will dictate which companies take part in its planned 5G rollout this year, Malaysian Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo said on February 17.

A corner of Malaysia (Source: themalaysianreserve)
A corner of Malaysia (Source: themalaysianreserve)
Huawei, one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment makers, has been at the centre of a US-led campaign to clamp down on the use of Chinese technology in the development of the next-generation telecommunications platform because of concerns the equipment could be used by China for spying.
However, the company denied the charges.
Malaysia has been aware of the concerns that have been expressed around the world about Huawei, but it will be governed by its own security standards in choosing partners for the nationwide 5G rollout planned for the third quarter, Deo said.
Malaysia has its own safety standards and requirements, the minister stressed, adding that whoever deals with Malaysia or comes up with proposals, the country has to be sure they meet the security standards that it needs.
The same day, Thailand’s authorities said the country had raised more than 3.2 billion USD in an auction of 5G licences, as operators race to snap up high-frequency spectrums needed for a commercial rollout of the next-generation technology.
A subsidiary of Advanced Info Services, the country's top mobile operator, dominated the bidding, securing 23 of the nearly 50 licences up for grabs.

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