News & Reviews:   network

Based on a statement by MediaTek CEO Cai Lixiang, the MediaTek’s 5G chipset will most likely be launched in Q1 2020 and we can expect smartphones released around January and March 2020 to come equipped with it. But that’s not all, MediaTek has also announced that MediaTek will be launching a 5G-capable chipset for mid-range and low-end smartphones as well.

The MCMC chairman has announced very recently, stating that up 32 5G sites across 6 states such as Kedah, Perak, Penang, Selangor, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur will be operational starting October 2019. Since it is a test, the sites mentioned will remain operational for as long as half a year to demonstrate it’s usage in agriculture, education, digital media, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, smart cities, transportation and tourism.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend a keynote panel discussion hosted by edotco where notable figures such as CEO of Time Broadband Afzal Abdul Rahim, CEO of Robi Axiata Limited Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Head of BCG Vaishali Rastogi, as well as Chairman of MCMC Encik Al-ishal Ishak were present. They then discuss the state of Malaysia's network infrastructure and whether it is enough to support the upcoming 5G network which will start to roll out sometime next year.

Based on a statement by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the three iPhones that are due to be released in the year 2020 is expected to come with 5G support. While Apple is still keen on utilizing Qualcomm’s 5G modems for its upcoming smartphones, there is a high possibility that Apple will end up developing its own 5G modems by 2021.

Earlier today, telco companies such as Celcom, Maxis, U Mobile, DiGi and more have showcased their 5G solutions in Putrajaya earlier today. At the test bed, many of the telcos gave a brief introduction to the 5G technology as well as the benefits that this new network will bring such as higher bandwidth with speeds of up to or even more than 1.6Gbps, lower latency, greater stability, better reception in a crowded area and so on. The network has also been used to conduct a remote brain surgery, in which the surgeon and the patient were more than 3000km apart.

Based on a statement made by China Mobile on Weibo on 16 March 2019, the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, China Mobile and Huawei, has successfully conducted a remote brain surgery to treat Parkinson’s disease, which makes it the first remote surgery ever conducted on a 5G network.

The Malaysian government will wait on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's report, before allowing Huawei to build their 5G infrastructure in Malaysia. Based on TheStar.com.my, the delay is due to various security concerns involving Huawei globally, including allegations of cyberspying, international scandals and so on. Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo wants to play it safe, to ensure that the system is secure before rolling out.

During their recent global analyst summit in Shenzhen, Huawei showed a slide teasing their first Huawei 5G mobile hotspot set for Q2 of 2019. They also revealed what could be their first 5G smartphone, which is presumed to be the Huawei Mate 30 in the second half of 2019 which also indicates when Malaysia and other countries could start seeing the full implementation of 5G networks.