Malaysia telecoms firms complete talks to take up stakes in 5G
KAULA LAMPUR: Malaysia said on Friday telecommunications firms CelcomDigi, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, U Mobile and YTL Communications will take up stakes in state 5G agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), following an agreement reached between the firms and the government on equity participation and 5G access. The announcement comes as mobile operators and the government look set to conclude protracted negotiations over Malaysia's 5G rollout plans. Malaysia had in 2021 announced that state-owned DNB would own the full 5G spectrum, with carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services. But the plan was met with industry concern over pricing, transparency and monopolistic practices. Mobile operators agreed in October last year to take up 70% of DNB's stake to resolve the impasse. However, the deal lapsed after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration - which took power after an election in November last year - announced a review of the governme...