Celcom will reportedly be shutting down their 3G networks by the end of 2021, paving the way for Team Blue to put more recourses into improving 4G utilization.
The brand’s CEO Idham Nawawi says that the number of 3G users in the country had dwindled in the past year, and that Celcom had always had a plan to shut down 3G networks.
Image credit: Amanz
With just around 800,000 customers left on 3G networks by the end of 2020, the company sees it fit to finally off the service, which is not only outdated, but also deprecating in value.
Road to 5G
This comes off the back the Ministry of Finance’s announcement of Digital Nasional Berhad, the new special purpose vehicle tasked to rollout 5G in Malaysia. It is expected that 5G will be commercially available by the end of 2021, and it makes sense for a telco brand as large as Celcom to pivot in that direction as well.
While the new standard is being rolled out, much of the nation will still rely on 4G tech, so Celcom’s aim here is to make sure the current standard is in in tip-top shape first, while 5G slowly reaches every corner of Malaysia.