“During the pilot trial, Unifi mobile post-paid customers with certified 5G devices will be able to experience 5G services in selected areas within Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya,” the telecommunications firm said in a statement.

According to Bernama, TM said it noted that technology and digital connectivity had become a necessity in today’s ecosystem.

It said the rollout of 5G would further advance value creation for consumers, micro-SMEs and corporate businesses.

“We will continue to support the government’s aspiration to deliver 5G for the nation and accelerate the leap towards a Digital Malaysia by society, businesses and industries,” TM said in response to a news report on the company signing up for 5G trials with DNB.

TM will be the first telecom operator to sign up for 5G trials.

However, it did not say if it had signed a long-term agreement on the usage of the government’s 5G network, Reuters said in a report yesterday.

DNB, which is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Inc, has been mandated by the government to be the single neutral party to undertake the deployment of 5G infrastructure and network nationwide.

On Dec 3, DNB said it expected to roll out 10% of 5G coverage in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur by the end of this month, with a cumulative site count of 500.

This will increase to 4,018 sites or 40% coverage in populated areas of Penang, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Perak next year.

DNB also aimed to reach 80% of populated areas of the country by 2024 with 7,509 sites.

Reuters reported last month that Malaysia’s major mobile carriers had raised concerns over transparency and pricing issues related to the 5G network services.