Celcom Axiata Berhad has signed an agreement to join IC5G, initiated by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Ericsson in 2015, at the UTM Kuala Lumpur campus.
Endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, IC5G is Malaysia’s first Innovation Centre, established to research and test 5G technology and use cases, featuring demonstrations and a learning space with specifically designed learning modules. It also showcases 5G innovations, a 5G research lab and a 5G learning space for the benefit of students and industry professionals.
The three main functionalities of IC5G include:
- 5G innovation showcase – To showcase 5G use cases and demonstrations.
- 5G research lab – For research and studies in key areas: Propagation, antenna, wireless communications, networks, security, sustainability and safety studies.
- 5G learning space – Short-, medium- and long-term learning programmes on 5G-and-beyond technologies offered by Ericsson and UTM for international and local industry players, as well as higher learning institutions.
The agreement was signed in presence of Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communications and Multimedia. As part of the agreement, Celcom Axiata will work with UTM and Ericsson to drive the development of 5G and IoT (Internet of things) use cases relevant for Malaysia, which includes studying and testing network traffic across different use cases to better understand 5G performance and feasibility scenarios.
Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad added, “Celcom is committed to developing and continuing the evolution of its network with the latest technologies, and bringing innovation that inspires Malaysians. We are therefore very proud to collaborate with UTM and Ericsson, as a part of our digital initiatives towards nation building. The private-academic sectors partnership is crucial in supporting a smooth roll out of 5G as it enables in-depth studies towards its development. The learning space within a campus environment also will enable inclusive 5G development programme that will benefit other learning institutions and also various industries.”
“Through the Innovation Centre for 5G, Ericsson and UTM have worked together to drive local 5G innovation and to train technologically competent and employable local human talents. We welcome Celcom to be part of this partnership. We are fully confident that this will help to ensure that Malaysia is on the right path to be digitally transformed by 2020,” said Prof. Dr. Shamsul Sahibuddin, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UTM Kuala Lumpur Campus .
Todd Ashton, President, Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh said, “Ericsson remains committed to bringing our world class technology to Malaysia and we firmly believe that through partnerships, the full value of connectivity can be realised for the whole ecosystem. I would like to welcome Celcom as a partner to the Innovation Centre for 5G that we initiated in collaboration with UTM in 2015. With Celcom now on board, it will boost our joint efforts to develop 5G and IoT use cases.”
Celcom Axiata, UTM and Ericsson will be showcasing their 5G use cases at Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya this weekend (20-21 April). The 5G showcase is open to public and will be graced by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia.
