COMMENT | 5G rollout, 'unanswerable' questions

COMMENT | Emir Research would like to put forward the fundamental and critical questions that policy-makers, if they are really neutral, should be pressing Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) to answer instead of FAQ-like questions that serve only to reinforce the main narrative that does not stand to objective scrutiny.

Does the “supply-driven” model really make sense for 5G in the first place?

The biggest DNB problem is in its simplistic thinking by analogy that 5G is already a universal “utility” in our country, like electricity or water, and by just “supplying” it, it will be readily and universally taken.

Forcing the mobile network operators (MNOs) to take on capacities would do very little when they cannot find the demand to fulfil those, especially in rural areas.

Experts agree that the 5G rollout must follow the country’s ability to monetise it, or, in other words, is intrinsically demand-driven!

If DNB still strongly feels that Malaysia is an exception to this rule, they should substantiate their speculation with...