SUBANG JAYA: Digi.Com Bhd, through unit Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) are facilitating more entrepreneurs, startups and developers gain access to try out next-generation 5G technology at Malaysia’s first 5G OpenLab in Cyberjaya.
In a statement today, Digi said both parties agree that 5G will drive significant progress in emerging technologies placing entrepreneurs, startups and developers in the best position to test the limits of 5G and bring to fore new ideas for solutions and content. This group of dreamers and thinkers are key to helping Malaysia reap the benefits of the Fourth IR and elevate the country’s digital economy.
To this end, DiGi and MDEC welcome more entrepreneurs, startups and developers to conduct trials in the 5G OpenLab to better understand and verify the technical requirements needed for the deployment of 5G in Malaysia. Use cases should be related to the areas of smart cities, smart mobility, smart healthcare and digital creative content.
Through the data collected, learnings can be applied to narrow down and identify which use cases will be relevant for the growth of 5G in Malaysia. Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said such initiatives accelerate the development and adoption of innovative 5G technologies beneficial to the economy.
"I wish to see more ‘Made in Malaysia’ 5G solutions and this initiative will help our local aspiring entrepreneurs achieve that goal,” added Gobind. DiGi's chief executive officer Albern Murty reiterated that public and private collaborative efforts was imperative to move 5G forward for Malaysia.
He explained that as 5G networks take shape, industries such as healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing will all be significantly more capable of innovation and growth than before. "We need tech innovators who can either improve existing solutions, or create entirely new ones for these industries to benefit from the unparalleled speeds and even higher amounts of data that 5G offers.
Albern said DiGi's partnership with MDEC allows greater research and development across these different verticals, and put 5G in the hands of those who can facilitate the innovation needed to develop and accelerate the deployment of 5G in Malaysia.”
MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said: "Deeper collaboration between the private sector and government agencies, especially around new technology such as 5G, is vital towards opening up white spaces for economic growth in Malaysia.
"We need supporting ecosystems to encourage greater innovation, efficiency and productivity. This initiative creates a platform for innovators to nurture fresh technology-driven ideas to transform businesses and enhance user experience through the hyper-connectivity made possible by 5G."
DiGi’s 5G OpenLab is hosted at RekaScape, a community space by Cyberview in Cyberjaya. The Lab serves as a collaborative space for businesses, academics and developers to test their 5G use cases. The 1,102 sq ft 5G-powered space offers super high-speed, massive bandwidth and ultra-low latency connectivity for 5G use case trials in a live, controlled environment.
Source: New Straits Times