U Mobile Sdn Bhd, one of the major mobile operator in Malaysia and ZTE Corporation, an international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate 5G technology in Malaysia.
ZTE is a major network partner of U Mobile. The existing U Mobile 3G and 4G LTE network are mostly built using ZTE product and solutions.
At the signing, U Mobile said that it plans to implement massive MIMO for faster download speeds in selected ares and also “Live Test” 5G in Kuala Lumpur (KL) city area.
MIMO stands for Multiple-input multiple-output. MIMO involves multiple technologies but it basically means transmitting and receiving of more than one data signal simultaneously over the same radio channel. Standard MIMO networks tend to use two or four antennas. Massive MIMO, on the other hand, is a MIMO system with a high number of radio antennas.
The partnership will see both parties collaborating on various 5G related developments including testing, showcases as well as the implementation of Massive MIMO as part of the U Mobile’s journey to 5G.
“U Mobile is delighted to partner with ZTE to accelerate 5G in Malaysia. We have a long standing working relationship with ZTE and it is a logical next step for us to collaborate on initiatives related to 5G,” said Wong Heang Tuck, CEO of U Mobile. “In the near future, we will be working closely with ZTE to conduct live tests in select areas in the KL city, so Malaysians may experience the first-hand power of 5G.”
Woon Ooi Yuen, U Mobile’s Chief Technology Officer, added, “In recent months, we have been aggressively expanding our own networks across West and East Malaysia. Concurrently, we are also plotting our journey towards 5G. As part of our 5G roadmap, we will be implementing Massive MIMO in certain areas in the KL City to further enhance customer experience by leveraging the wider bandwidths. We are delighted to be working with ZTE to support us in our 5G deployment goals.”
“We have consolidated a long-term strategic partnership with U Mobile and I would like to express my appreciation to U Mobile for taking our collaboration to the next level,” said Steven Ge, Managing Director of ZTE Malaysia. “ZTE is a global network provider with 5G end-to-end solution capabilities and has maintained the industry leader position in commercial network practices in 5G technologies. This MOU will turn 5G into a reality in the near future to benefit Malaysians.”
