Malaysia bukan ‘bidak catur’ kuasa besar pembangunan 5G, kata Fahmi

Malaysia will not allow itself to be the pawn in any geopolitical chess game during the 5G telecommunications development race, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. The decision to shift towards a dual-rail 5G model aims to strike a balance in the use of technology and telecom providers, according to Fahmi, reported by Bernama.

The minister, who is representing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, is currently in Doha for the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (ITU PP-26) and the GSMA, praising Malaysia's approach to balancing technology and geopolitical interests. Malaysia's success in hosting the M360 Asean event and its rapid advancement in 5G implementation, coupled with affordable internet services, have been highlighted as key achievements.

Malaysia is also seeking to strengthen its influence in global telecom standards through a re-election to the ITU Council. Fahmi is in Doha to lead Malaysia's delegation to ITU PP-26 from November 6 to 11, where he will also be representing Malaysia's bid to retain its seat on the ITU Council for the period 2027-2030, alongside representatives from Malaysia's Communications and Multimedia Commission and major telecom players such as Telekom Malaysia, CelcomDigi, Maxis, and U Mobile.