• Partnership announced at Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit 2024 alongside real-world showcases of 5G-Advanced applications
• Cooperation to develop customer experience improvements, network deployment, and operating efficiencies
• Collaboration to also nurture homegrown talent in Malaysia through academia-industry engagements, training and development initiatives

Maxis and Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia) have announced a strategic collaboration on a Joint Innovation Centre focused on the development of 5G-Advanced technology to explore and develop innovative solutions to improve customer experience, operating efficiencies, rapid deployment, industry use cases, and develop homegrown talent for industrial and entrepreneurship activities.

Overall, the partnership aims to drive technological advancements and strengthen Malaysia’s position in the global telecommunications landscape.

The partnership was formalised at a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange held during the opening ceremony of the Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit 2024. Organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), the Summit aims to drive the national commercialisation ecosystem. The MoU exchange was witnessed by Guest of Honour YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia. Also present was YB Tuan Chang Lih Kang, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Maxis and Huawei Malaysia will explore innovations in gigabit capacity to support mobile network expansions and 5G/5G-Advanced technologies such as mobile edge computing, network slicing, end-to-end network orchestration, RedCap and Passive-IoT. Additionally, Maxis and Huawei Malaysia will also explore the usage of digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to optimise network operating efficiencies.

“Earlier this year in February we were the first to showcase 5G-Advanced for the public not only for the nation but also region. The continued collaboration with Huawei is one of the many ways we are supporting Malaysia’s digital ambitions. With this latest collaboration we want to take full advantage of 5G-Advanced by building up human capital alongside commercialised innovation for enterprises and industries. As the country’s leading integrated telco, we look forward to the next evolution of connectivity and the economic benefits it will bring to our country.” - Goh Seow Eng, Chief Executive Officer of Maxis.

Simon Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Malaysia said, “We are confident that this collaboration will assist in accelerating the nation’s digital transformation agenda and firmly place Malaysia as the ASEAN Technology Capital. This is the next step after our first Smart Island Proof of Concept powered by 5.5G/5G Advanced in ASEAN which took place in Labuan. Together, we are nurturing innovation and pushing boundaries to ensure Malaysia becomes the regional hub of cutting-edge technologies.”

Furthermore, the collaboration will focus on nurturing homegrown talent in Malaysia, with an emphasis on university students and the local workforce. Through these academia-industry engagements, training programmes, and R&D projects, the collaboration aims to ensure that Malaysian talent is equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving telecommunications and technology sector.

At the MCY Summit 2024, Maxis also showcased several 5G-Advanced applications and their real-world impact, including for education with remote classroom teaching, for healthcare with remote diagnosis and rescue, and for manufacturing with autonomous smart sorting and assembly.       

Maxis and Huawei Malaysia have a longstanding history of collaboration in advancing the adoption of mobile network technologies. Following their achievement of staging the first 5G-Advanced technology trial showcase in Southeast Asia in February, both companies have continued to demonstrate the immense potential of 5G-Advanced technology for the economy.