5G All Set to Unleash Power on Nation,Business and Way of Life
As the demand for mobility grows, 5G is swiftly becoming a key focus for organisations worldwide. To would-be consumers and industry players, 5G is a game-changer as it is touted as an enabling technology that connects humans, machines, objects, and devices.
Essentially, the 5G is expansive with so many interrelated parts. However, its value is centred on its potential to transform digital touch points and create spin-offs across the entire digital ecosystem. These include cloud computing, machine learning, edge computing, AI, the Internet of Things, and many exciting and cutting-edge platforms.
Great Possibilities
A plethora of possibilities are born with this revolution, helping us advance as a nation.Think of smarter electricity grids, usage of drones in medical situations in hard to reach locations, autonomous vehicles that can reduce accidents on our roads – the possibilities here are indeed limitless.
5G will also transform our business to be more agile and efficient. Imagine Malaysian factories autonomously reacting to global supply and demand, faultless logistic networks, development of bots for working in dangerous environments and even paving the way for IoT to fashion a more efficient agriculture industry – 5G is the real deal.
In theMalaysian creative media sector, 5G is expected to disrupt on many levels.Video, gaming, music, advertising, AR, and VR will all see massive changes, further reducing content and audience proximity. Delivering sensory experiences, like touch, through devices. Besides more immersive experiences in virtual meet-ups to boost work productivity, 5G will also help the talent pool with engaging and cutting-edge learning experiences.
Efforts to Harness Power
Clearly, the world has realised the massive potential the technology can bring to the economic table as countries and organisations make efforts to harness its mighty power through policies and infrastructural enhancements.
Closer to home, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), Malaysia’s special purpose vehicle (SPV)for the 5G rollout, is committed to an accelerated schedule to roll out the 5G coverage to 80% of the population by 2024.
Earlier thisyear, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has rolled out wholesale 5G network services, activating 500 5G bases covering Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur, up to Dec 31, 2021.
He also announced that DNB has targeted (to activate) 3,500 bases (equivalent to 36%coverage of populated areas) by the end of this year.
DNB was established last year to deliver the key outcomes in line with the MalaysiaDigital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL). This national blueprint reflects the government’s drive to transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven regional powerhouse by 2030.
Enter MRANTI
The formation of the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation(MRANTI), through the merger of two agencies under MOSTI, Technology ParkMalaysia (TPM) and Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC),is a boon to established industry players and aspirants in this 5G segment.
And being the lead secretariat of the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS),MRANTI will facilitate 5G applications in key development clusters and other developmental and partnership programmes in order to create a robust ecosystem partnership around 5G.
The agency is all set to provide interlinked services and facilities that go hand-in-hand with the development of 5G technology. MRANTI will establish the firstArtificial Intelligence Park in Malaysia and introduce facilities such as the5G Development Hub, Sustainable Urban Farming Incubation Facility,Biotechnology Incubation Hub and Autonomous Vehicle & Robotics Hub.
To reiterate, all these facilities are interlinked – for example, the testing, incubation and development of Autonomous Vehicles go hand-in-hand with the development of 5G technology into the respective facilities.
Forward March
Forging ahead, MRANTI aspires to support the tech ecosystem and its supporting production facilities. It expects more than 1,000 technopreneurs to utilise the5G facility to develop market-ready services and products within the next three years.
MRANTI has joined forces with DNB and Ericsson to leverage 5G to accelerate the development of innovation clusters at the MRANTI Park campus, besides establishing the 5G Development Hub.
DNB will look into 5G infrastructure planning and execution and facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions on 5G technology and related capabilities.
Meanwhile,Ericsson will contribute its thought leadership and experience in the 5G space to accelerate the development of use cases to increase the uptake of 5G and support start-ups and technopreneurs on 5G development and readiness. TheSwedish-based telecom giant will also participate in a knowledge-building programme through presentations and seminars.
5G Development Hub
This Hub aspires to foster greater collaboration between businesses and innovators in developing a robust 5G ecosystem. Among the components and functions of the development centre:
• 5G Experience Centre: Located at the Resource Centre, it will be equipped with use cases to introduce 5G technology to visitors.
• Research and insight library: MRANTI Park will be a place for researchers and innovators to conduct case studies on 5G technology.
• Testing and development: A place for developers to conduct 5G application assessment and improvement.
• Showcase, awareness, training and advisory: A centre for technological innovation, development, and application of ICT in the 5G era.
Cross Value
The 5G Experience Centre is expected to complement other facilities in the AI Park.For example, the Autonomous Vehicles (AV) living lab will benefit much from the 5G coverage in the AI Hub in developing future solutions.
The AVLiving Lab is a 12km testbed track for autonomous vehicles, where NanoMalaysia’s Autonomous Vehicle (NAVi) will be tested.
Infrastructure such as road markings, road signs, a central command centre, and 5G connection are now being constructed to support the future development of AV solutions.
Whereas theDroneTech Centre of Excellence, also known as Area 57, will also benefit from the power of 5G. Area 57 is a dedicated 5-acre integrated ecosystem of testbed areas for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for flying, testing, research and development activities.
Additionally, smart farming is another immense potential that can be unlocked with the 5G facilities. Smart farming and precision agriculture incorporate technology to make farm-to-market more efficient and productive. Smart agriculture, also known as Agritech, utilises IoT sensors to connect everything from irrigation systems to soil and animal production. As 5G rolls out in Malaysia, this high-bandwidth cellular technology is poised to impact agritech platforms.
Spurring the Economy
According to a recent survey conducted by Ernst & Young Consulting Services (EY), the deployment of 5G technology can boost Malaysia’s GDP by 5%, or RM122 billion, by 2030.
5G is all set to drive efficiency, increase productivity and create new opportunities across the board, and this will contribute to the aspirations of the 12th Malaysia Plan to become a high-income nation.
According to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), 5G related economic activities are estimated to contribute an additional RM12.7 billion to the GDP between 2021 and 2025.
Research outfit Markets and Markets expects the global 5G services market to grow fromUS$53.0 billion in 2020 to a staggering US$249.2 billion by 2026, at a CompoundAnnual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.4% during the forecast period.
The transformation to the 5G ecosystem is expected to experience up to four times faster growth rate than other connectivity transformations.
Experts say such progress is expected due to the rapid innovation in virtualisation in the networking domain, coupled with the growing numbers of applications that require a latent-free connection.
Thus, it is clear that Malaysian start-ups and businesses in the 5G space have sufficient market traction, demand and the right ecosystem to create new and value-added products and services that will shape our future.
Here we go!
