5G: MNOs expected to sign SSA with DNB this month

The Star

Mobile network operators (MNOs) and Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) are expected to sign share subscription agreements (SSAs) by the middle of this month, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.  He said currently the government's focus is to execute the SSAs for the MNOs to take up equity in the DNB before furthering discussions on the 5G second network deployment.  Read more at https://shorturl.at/envCZ  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 The government started getting RFPs for the second network?

00:04 Yeah, currently the discussions are ongoing.

00:08 I'm not in a position to divulge more information on this

00:12 because the conversation is very dynamic.

00:15 And it is being facilitated by the 5G Task Force

00:22 co-chaired by KKD-KSU as well as KSP Treasury.

00:28 Where is RFPs being received?

00:30 There is a structure, there is an ongoing discussion.

00:34 We have not yet come to a decision as to which MNO will be in which entity.

00:38 Entity A, which is DNB, or Entity B.

00:41 I believe we anticipate the signing of the share subscription agreement

00:45 for take-up of equity on DNB to take place first

00:49 before further discussions on the second network will be at a more advanced stage.

00:54 So the first step is that signing.

00:56 Which we hope, I am informed by the Task Force,

01:00 that if all things go well, before the middle of this month, hopefully.

01:05 Has the government also considered what it will do with DNB

01:08 once it starts deploying a second network?

01:11 No, the DNB will still be there.

01:13 But if the question is whether the government will retain a stake in DNB,

01:17 yes, for the time being.

01:19 There's no decision yet by Cabinet to divest.

01:24 But for the time being, government is still very much part of DNB.

01:30 With the dual network coming into force next year,

01:35 would the spectrum under DNB be transferred to the Entity B?

01:40 This is one of the things that we are discussing.

01:43 In order to make full use of 5G,

01:48 the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU,

01:52 stipulates that you need a minimum of 100 MHz of the 3.5 GHz spectrum

02:03 for efficient use of 5G.

02:06 That is what is recommended.

02:08 So it's not impossible that we may allow DNB to have 100 MHz of that spectrum band

02:20 and Entity B to possibly take up the second 100 MHz block.

02:26 Is it still in line with the agreement with Harrison?

02:31 No, bandwidth has nothing to do.

02:35 As far as we are concerned, this is the prerogative of the regulator, which is MCMC.

02:42 For more information, visit www.ncbi.gov.

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