Fahmi: Govt calls on local businesses to lead enterprise 5G solutions development

KUALA LUMPUR - The government wants local businesses to lead the development of enterprise 5G solutions to ensure the country’s digital ecosystem is of the highest international standards while elevating the nation’s economy.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said 5G requires the right ecosystem to thrive and to develop a robust ecosystem, there needs to be a concerted effort from corporates, the public sector, technology enablers and connectivity providers by working closely hand-in-hand to accelerate the adoption of 5G.

"While enablers strengthen the infrastructure, I strongly encourage all enterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who are the lifeblood of our nation’s economy, to actively find new solutions, leveraging advanced technologies that will drive the next phase of development for your business, for the industry, for the country,” he said in recorded video speech at CelcomDigi’s MY5G Conference and Tech Showcase here today.

He said the conference served as an important platform that allowed diverse industries and stakeholders to come together and explore opportunities in driving 5G adoption for effective transformation and growth, realising the true potential of 5G.

Furthermore, he said internet connectivity and digital accessibility and more recently, 5G technology, are crucial components for almost any country and the development of their economy.

Fahmi said recently, GSMA Intelligence identified five key components that are required for a digital nation namely infrastructure, innovation, people, data governance and security.

He said these key components are interconnected and must be developed together to avoid potentially costly gaps and delays in the implementation of digital initiatives.

"With a strong 5G infrastructure, more Malaysians, SMEs or even enterprises across industries can greatly benefit from its efficient foundation for digital services and applications to be developed, stored, distributed and consumed,” he said.

Meanwhile, CelcomDigi Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Idham Nawawi said the company has already collaborated with its large enterprise clients to roll out 5G solutions and services.

He said they have witnessed through these services how 5G-powered solutions and digitalisation could benefit every sector of the economy by fundamentally transforming operations and way of work to achieve better productivity and increase efficiency.

"Beyond adoption, participation of enabling sectors like banking will also be crucial in paving the way to unlocking benefits for all consumers and businesses,” he said.

He said the government has also been supportive of funding enterprise digitalisation, in the belief that SMEs would continue to be the lifeblood of the Malaysian economy.

On CelcomDigi MY5G Conference, Idham said the event saw the participation of 400 leaders and decision-makers from 220 companies across 30 industries which showed the level of interest among Malaysian businesses in their desire to learn about 5G and its potentials.

"We have partnered with 18 leading companies, showcasing a range of 5G use cases, giving you a glimpse of what 5G can do for your sector at Tech Showcase,” he said.

Under Budget 2024, the government has announced various initiatives, including RM100 million digitalisation grant that will benefit more than 20,000 SMEs and micro-entrepreneurs. - BERNAMA