KUALA LUMPUR – Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) has given the assurance that 5G prices will be cheaper than the cost of 4G, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said following DNB’s appointment as the country’s sole provider for the 5G network, his ministry had taken its own initiative to meet with DNB’s representatives to discuss the 5G roll-out plan.
Zahidi said the issue of pricing was also discussed with DNB, particularly as there are concerns that spectrum allocations would cost twice as much, as they would be sold to telecommunications companies.
“However, DNB gave us the assurance that prices will be cheaper than the cost of 4G, cheaper than it is today.
“Our bills and charges are already cheap, but they want to give us even cheaper. That is their guarantee to us,” Zahidi said in response to a question from Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang-PH) on whether the government has any backup plan if the current single wholesale network model led by DNB is scrapped.
Zahidi said the government had advised DNB to seek cooperation with telecommunications company Telekom Malaysia.
He said this is because Telekom Malaysia already has a long history in the industry, having been founded in 1984.
“DNB doesn’t have anything. They just set up the company, appointed Augustus Ralph Marshall as the CEO, and went straight to set up 5G.
“We had to ask, what about the involvement of Bumiputeras, why aren’t they working together with Telekom Malaysia?” he said.
Zahidi also informed the Dewan Rakyat that DNB was appointed the country’s sole provider for the 5G network even though it did not own any communications assets.
He said the decision to award the project to DNB was made solely by the Finance Ministry, without first discussing or consulting the matter with his ministry.
“We were just called in by the Finance Ministry to hand over the responsibilities to DNB, and this was made without any prior consultation. They just instructed us to award it to DNB.
“There was no communication with us. The Finance Ministry just made the decision, and we had to accept it.”
When asked by Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai-PH) why the government had then allowed DNB to lead the country’s 5G roll-out plan,if it did not have any assets, Zahidi said this question must be directed to the Finance Ministry.
“It’s like the issue of investments. That is not our job, but the job of the International Trade and Industry Ministry. Our job is telecommunications.
“But the Finance Ministry wants to get involved, so we let it. What we do is we try to cooperate with them and DNB,” he added. – The Vibes, December 9, 2021
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