U Mobile's second 5G coverage reaches 54.9% in populated areas

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A few hours ago, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil provided new insights into the progress of Malaysia’s second 5G network during a briefing with U Mobile. According to the minister, 5G deployment in Malaysia continues to accelerate, with operators now overlaying the new network infrastructure onto existing 4G infrastructure to achieve faster and more stable connection upgrades.

 

Accelerating 5G Deployment Nationwide

In an official post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Fahmi Fadzil reported that U Mobile has already completed significant development benchmarks for the second 5G network and is aligning rollout plans with industry partners and regulatory authorities. Testing phases are nearing their final stages, with commercial launch planned to begin in select urban centres before the end of 2025, and nationwide coverage expected in 2026.

Fahmi highlighted that the rollout strategy involves deploying 5G base stations alongside existing 4G infrastructure — a method designed to reduce costs and deployment time while maintaining service continuity. “This parallel rollout ensures upgrades happen more swiftly and efficiently,” he stated, adding that the second 5G network will offer users improved speed, lower latency, and enhanced capacity for emerging technologies such as AI and IoT services.

 

What to Expect from the New 5G Architecture

The new deployments will support standalone 5G (SA) architecture, enabling key features like network slicing and ultra-reliable low-latency communication. According to Fahmi, this will be essential for use cases such as smart factories, autonomous vehicles, and AI-powered applications — areas where network performance and reliability are increasingly critical.

Additionally, operators will be required to ensure 80 % population coverage (CoPA) in urban hotspots by mid-2026, a figure mandated by regulatory authorities. Fahmi hinted that current rollout progress is on track or ahead of previous projections, thanks to collaboration between telcos, infrastructure providers, and government agencies.

 

What’s Next for Malaysia’s 5G Future

As Malaysia transitions further into its digital transformation roadmap, the second 5G network is positioned to be a key enabler of the nation’s next wave of innovation — spanning AI, IoT, smart city applications, and industrial digitalisation.

“The development of this new 5G infrastructure is crucial for Malaysia’s goal of becoming a regional digital leader,” Fahmi added. “We are entering a new phase where connectivity also means intelligence — powering applications that will shape the future of how we live, work, and play.”

U Mobile has been steadily adding new partners to work towards its NextGen 5G goal. For more information on U Mobile's progress with its second 5G network, please visit our web portal here. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.