DIGITAL Nasional Bhd’s (DNB) 5G network rollout is ahead of schedule and expected to exceed 40% coverage of populated areas (Copa) nationwide by year end.

The company revealed that it planned for Copa to be 37.9% for this year, but the current forecast is for it to hit 41.8% at the end of the month.

In a statement, DNB chief operating officer Nasution Mohamed said the firm is confident of achieving the committed 80% Copa within the next 18 months based on demand for 5G services and support received for the necessary approvals from the various state and local authorities to accelerate network deployment.

He said the network will reach 14 million people in areas where it has been established and in excess of 30 million over the next two years.

“The 40% Copa will be achieved with approximately 3,500 sites against an initially planned 4,018 sites,” he said.

This reduced site count is a result of supply chain issues earlier this year and delays in securing the necessary local council approvals, primarily in Selangor and Sarawak.

Nasution said the issues have largely been resolved and the network will be deployed progressively next year as planned.

“To overcome the delays and achieve the 40% Copa, DNB has redirected its network deployment efforts to those states initially intended for 2023 and beyond,” he said.

The network currently includes almost all of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and significant parts of Penang, Johor and Negri Sembilan as well as some parts of Malacca, Perak, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

To date, five of six mobile network operators in the country, which collectively have well more than 20 million subscribers – Celcom Axiata Bhd, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd – have begun making retail 5G services available to their end users, following the signing of their respective 5G access agreements with DNB on October 31. – Bernama, December 12, 2022.