JUNE 24 — “5G” is the latest media buzzword. The next-generation technology is expected to guarantee uninterrupted, speedier internet connections, reportedly 100 times faster than the existing 4G network services.
Japan, New Zealand and Australia have all blocked Huawei from developing their national 5G infrastructure projects. It should be noted that our leading telco operator Maxis had reached an agreement to accelerate the country’s 5G network roll-out with Huawei. Given that Malaysia is not a big country, it might be unwise for us to be caught up in the ongoing trade war, which may impede and decelerate both our tech and telco industries.
It would be alright if we had concrete plans to use 5G to boost our financial services and manufacturing industry, or to contribute to the creation of ground-breaking apps like Indonesia’s Go-Jek or Singapore-based Grab. Malaysia, in contrast, has arguably yet to utilize this technology to truly benefit its people despite almost all of us having sophisticated smartphones.