Malaysian state-owned wholesale player Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) struck a 5G deal with Ericsson to up digitalisation efforts across industry sectors in the country, with chip giant Intel also involved in the project. 

In a statement Ericsson explained the partnership was formalised through a series of Memorandum of Understanding agreements.

The pair will work also closely with Swedish manufacturer Scania, local vehicle automation software provider eMoovit and bearing specialist SKF Malaysia. Intel will serve as technology partner in the project and will be involved in the development of enterprise 5G use cases. 

The partners expect to focus on autonomous transport, fleet management, smart manufacturing and logistics, with 5G set to facilitate “efficient communication between machines, robots and systems within a factory”. 

David Hagerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh said Malaysia’s 5G network “is ranked among the top five in the world”, which makes doing business in the country “more competitive and attractive for foreign investors”. 

According to DNB’s chief strategy officer Ahmad Zaki Zahid, Malaysia’s 5G network already covers 80 per cent of the population, adding the project would “act as catalysts to kick start digitalisation across industries”.