Ports, railways and highways could be next in Malaysia’s 5G coverage push

The Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are considering expanding telecommunications coverage, particularly 5G, to vital economic areas such as ports, rail lines, and highways.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil emphasized the need to revise the current Coverage of Populated Area (CoPA) metric to include regions with significant economic activity but low or no population.

Fahmi announced Penang Port as Malaysia's first to implement a private 5G network and stated that the technology's deployment would enhance industrial operations by offering dedicated connectivity.

The proposal will be presented to the Cabinet, alongside collaboration with the Ministry of Transport to extend 5G deployment across additional ports.

BUTTERWORTH, Oct 17 — The Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will study expanding telecommunications coverage targets, particularly for 5G, to include key economic areas such as ports, rail lines and highways.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the current Coverage of Populated Area (CoPA) metric should be reviewed to account for connectivity needs in areas with few or no residents but significant economic activity.

“CoPA is frequently used by telecommunications companies and international bodies to refer to connectivity in populated areas. However, when we talk about 5G access, areas such as ports have no residents but are hubs for significant economic activities,” he said.

He said Malaysia would also raise the issue at international forums, including an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meeting in Doha in November, to discuss extending 5G and future technologies beyond populated areas to economic hubs.

Fahmi was speaking to reporters after launching the Penang Port Private 5G initiative at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) today, making Penang Port the first port in Malaysia to adopt a private 5G network through a collaboration between Altel Communications Sdn Bhd (Altel) and Penang Port.

Also present were Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general for telecommunications infrastructure V. Mano and MCMC managing director Abdul Karim Fakir Ali.

Fahmi said reliable connectivity was essential for industrial operations and that telecommunications infrastructure should not be concentrated solely in populated areas.

Private 5G networks could also be expanded to manufacturing and logistics, particularly for multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Malaysia, he added.

He said the technology offered dedicated connectivity and could support more devices simultaneously, including machinery and equipment requiring high precision.

Fahmi, who is also the Madani government spokesman, said his ministry would prepare a Cabinet memorandum on the proposal and work with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to extend coverage, including through 5G deployment at other ports.

He cited previous cooperation between the two ministries to address internet connectivity gaps along major rail routes, including sections managed by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB).

“Based on our previous cooperation with MOT, I believe we can expand these efforts, including by leveraging 5G technology, regardless of who provides the service, for deployment at ports,” he said.

Fahmi said private 5G networks differed from conventional networks by providing dedicated communication channels for critical industrial operations, without requiring users to share network capacity with others.

He said the technology should also be adopted more widely by private-sector operators, including manufacturers and oil palm plantation companies, to improve operational efficiency and safety. — Bernama

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通信部和马来西亚通信及多媒体委员会（MCMC）正在考虑扩大电信覆盖范围，特别是 5G 网络，以覆盖港口、铁路和高速公路等重要经济区域。

通讯部长拿督斯里法米·法兹尔强调，有必要修订当前的“人口覆盖区域 (CoPA)”指标，将经济活动显著但人口稀少或没有人口的地区纳入其中。

法米宣布槟城港成为马来西亚首个部署私有 5G 网络的港口，并表示该技术的部署将通过提供专用连接来增强工业运营。

该提案将提交内阁审议，同时还将与交通部合作，将 5G 部署扩展到更多港口。

北海，10 月 17 日讯——马来西亚通讯部和通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）将研究扩大电信覆盖范围目标，特别是 5G 覆盖范围，以涵盖港口、铁路和高速公路等关键经济领域。

通讯部长拿督斯里法米·法兹尔表示，目前的“人口密集区覆盖率”（CoPA）指标应该进行审查，以考虑到人口稀少或无人居住但经济活动显著的地区的网络连接需求。

“电信公司和国际机构经常使用CoPA来指代人口稠密地区的网络连接。然而，当我们谈论5G接入时，像港口这样没有居民但却是重要经济活动中心的地区，”他说道。

他表示，马来西亚还将在国际论坛上提出这个问题，包括11月在多哈举行的国际电信联盟（ITU）会议，讨论将5G和未来技术从人口稠密地区扩展到经济中心。

法米今天在北海集装箱码头 (NBCT) 启动槟城港私人 5G 计划后对记者发表了讲话。该计划使槟城港成为马来西亚第一个采用私人 5G 网络的港口，这是 Altel Communications Sdn Bhd (Altel) 与槟城港合作的成果。

槟城第二副首席部长贾格迪普·辛格·迪奥、通讯部电信基础设施副秘书长V·马诺和通讯及多媒体委员会总经理阿卜杜勒·卡里姆·法基尔·阿里也出席了会议。

法赫米表示，可靠的网络连接对于工业运营至关重要，电信基础设施不应仅仅集中在人口稠密的地区。

他还补充说，私有 5G 网络还可以扩展到制造业和物流领域，特别是对于在马来西亚运营的跨国公司而言。

他表示，该技术提供专用连接，可以同时支持更多设备，包括需要高精度的机械和设备。

法赫米同时也是马达尼政府的发言人，他表示，他的部门将就该提案准备一份内阁备忘录，并与交通部合作，扩大覆盖范围，包括在其他港口部署 5G 网络。

他提到，这两个部门之前曾合作解决主要铁路沿线（包括由马来亚铁路公司 (KTMB) 管理的路段）的互联网连接差距问题。

他说：“基于我们之前与交通部的合作，我相信我们可以扩大这些努力，包括利用 5G 技术，无论由谁提供服务，都可以在港口进行部署。”

法赫米表示，私有 5G 网络与传统网络的区别在于，它为关键工业运营提供专用通信信道，而无需用户与其他用户共享网络容量。

他表示，包括制造商和油棕种植园公司在内的私营企业也应更广泛地采用这项技术，以提高运营效率和安全性。——马新社

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