Malaysia shares dual 5G strategy with region, says Fahmi

The Star

02-06-2025

TOKYO: Malaysia has shared its experience and direction in implementing dual 5G networks with the Asia Pacific region, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic).
The Communications Minister said this was achieved through participation in the Asia Pacific Telecommunity Ministerial Mee­t­ing (APT-MM) 2025 which concluded here on Saturday.
He said the focus was also on efforts to address online security issues that were a challenge for many countries, as well as the National Digital Network infrastructure programme.
Fahmi, who led the country's delegation, said the meet provi­ded an opportunity for Malaysia to show other countries what it had achie­ved through the various programmes.
'Our experience in implementing the 5G network first as a single and then a dual network and implementing large projects was important,' he told Bernama.
Fahmi said there was a need for regulatory bodies from APT member nations to emphasise aspects of online supervision and security, including online gambling and cyber fraud issues in the region.
'One of the ideas I put forward was the need for senior officers to meet every year, and it is appropriate to hold a workshop for countries in the Asia Pacific region to reveal the problems faced and how these are resol­ved.
'We can share our experiences, lessons and solutions that have been implemen­ted, which can be adopted by other countries,' he added.
Also held in conjunction with the two-day meet were a series of bilateral meetings with Fahmi's Asia Pacific counterparts and international organisations res­pon­sible for the telecommunications industry.
The minister held bilateral meetings with delegations from host Japan, Indonesia, Fiji, China, Iran, Australia, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the GSM Association (GSMA).
Fahmi said there was a need for agencies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to closely examine the legal aspects of efforts to regulate online safety, as done by Australia.
'We have conveyed this to Australia and we hope that a team from Malaysia will be able to go there or hold online discussions for us to examine and evaluate,' he added.
Meanwhile, Malaysia expressed its intention to continue its membership as a council member in the ITU for the 2027-2030 session.
'We also conveyed this to the counterparts I held bilateral meet­ings with and we hope that friends of Malaysia will support our presence in the ITU Council,' he added.
The APT-MM 2025 edition also saw the launch of the Tokyo Statement 2025 which emphasised six priorities – digital connectivity, digital innovation and entrepreneurship, trust and security, digital inclusion and capacity building, environmental sustainability, and regional and international cooperation.