COMMUNICATIONS and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil today called on Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) to explain how it concluded that the 5G network coverage in the country had reached nearly 50%.

He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had not yet verified the information.

“I think DNB must explain how they arrived at these figures. MCMC has not yet verified this info.

“Next time I don’t think DNB should publish prior to verification,” he said in response to a tweet claiming that the numbers published by DNB were bogus. 

On Monday, DNB chief operating officer Nasution Mohamed said in a statement that nationwide 5G network coverage had reached almost 50% in populated areas as of the end of last year, surpassing the initial target of 40%.

Nasution said the network had now reached 15 million Malaysians, involving 3,900 sites and will reach more than 30 million people and businesses when fully implemented.

He also said that DNB was now fully focused on achieving the commitment of 80% of populated areas by the end of 2024 or earlier. – Bernama, January 4, 2023.