CelcomDigi, U Mobile and ZTE Claim New Record in Live 5G-A Trial

Malaysian carriers CelcomDigi and U Mobile and Chinese vendor ZTE claimed a new record with mobile speeds at 30.8 Gbps with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology during a live trial conducted in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

In addition to this new benchmark, the partners also recorded individual users experiencing speeds of up to 8.5 Gbps. 

ZTE noted that the trio intends to showcase 5G-A technology with what it claims to be Malaysia’s first-ever 5G-A live broadcast from the Opening Ceremony of SUKMA 2024 in Sarawak to viewers across the nation through Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

The public who visit the CelcomDigi, U Mobile, and ZTE 5G-A Pavilion located outside Stadium Sarawak will also have the opportunity to experience 5G-A enhanced XR technology. By utilizing 5G-Advanced in 360-degree cameras installed at various locations inside the stadium, visitors can experience the atmosphere of the stadium’s action by putting on a pair of VR goggles, the vendor said.

Viewers will be able to enjoy an immersive experience, as the broadcast will consist of high-resolution streams with minimal delay, the Chinese vendor added.

Datuk Idham Nawawi, CEO of CelcomDigi, said: “This achievement reflects the importance of industry collaboration and partnerships, especially in realizing the potentials of 5G and 5G-A. We continue to execute on our multi-partner strategy of bringing together the best technologies from the East and West to deliver the best experiences to Malaysians, and enable the nation’s transformation into a 5G-AI powered digital society.”

Wong Heang Tuck, CEO of U Mobile, said: “We are proud to achieve this record-breaking 5G-Advanced accomplishment of 30.8 Gbps with our industry partner CelcomDigi and technology partner ZTE as it showcases the possibilities of what 5G-A can do for enterprise solutions across various verticals.”  

Also in Malaysia, local carrier Maxis has partnered with Singaporean operator Singtel to introduce what it claims to be Malaysia’s first all-in-one platform for 5G network, edge computing, cloud and services orchestration, built on Singtel’s Paragon for telco networks.

The platform will make 5G-Advanced and 5G technology, edge and multi-cloud computing more accessible to Malaysian businesses and accelerate digital transformation across various verticals such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and public services, Maxis said.

Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel Digital InfraCo, said: “We’ve seen a strong shift in demand from enterprises for 5G and edge computing capabilities to accelerate their digital transformation. Paragon enables faster monetization of 5G infrastructure by reducing complexities for telcos to deliver and scale 5G use cases.”

Singtel added that the platform will be locally hosted and deployed in Malaysia, to cater to the cybersecurity and data sovereignty requirements for Malaysian businesses.

Singtel said its Paragon is a comprehensive solution that enables enterprises to connect with the 5G network and securely deploy their edge computing applications and services rapidly on the telco’s infrastructure, thus reducing time-to-market.