KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) to submit its updated business plan for the second 5G network by next week, following delays in its rollout, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said today after a Cabinet meeting.
Fahmi revealed that telecommunication company U Mobile had already submitted its business plan earlier this week to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
However, DNB had initially requested to present theirs in January, prompting Anwar to insist on an earlier deadline.
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that no further delays will be entertained and has directed DNB to submit its business plan next week,” Fahmi said.
Addressing Anwar’s frustrations, Fahmi confirmed that the Prime Minister had apologised at the Cabinet meeting for losing his patience during the National Digital Economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution Council (MED4IRN) meeting on Wednesday.
“He apologised, acknowledging that it was out of character for him. However, he explained that his frustration stemmed from the belief that these initiatives should be implemented sooner,” Fahmi added.
The other initiative facing scrutiny is MyDigital ID, which has garnered only slightly over a million registrations so far.
Fahmi disclosed that as of 1pm on December 5, there were just 1.319 million registrations, a figure the Prime Minister deemed unacceptably low.
“The Prime Minister has expressed disappointment with the slow progress of both MyDigital ID and the second 5G network.”
“He has now given MyDigital ID two weeks to address issues and significantly increase the number of users and registrations,” Fahmi said. – December 6, 2024