PETALING JAYA: CelcomDigi Bhd says it has begun its full-scale project to provide clients with quicker and more dependable connectivity to achieve seamless performance across Malaysia.
Following the merger of Celcom Axiata Bhd and Digi.Com Bhd in December 2022, this is one of the country's largest network deployment projects, involving a total of 18,000 sites.
The new digital network will unite the two existing robust networks, which have a combined footprint of 96.4 per cent for 4G LTE and 90.3 per cent for 4G LTE-A and are both highly rated in Opensignal's latest industry assessment.
Celcom Digi chief executive officer Datuk Idham Nawawi said the new integrated and modernised network unlocked the benefits and strengths of the Celcom-Digi merger.
"We are thrilled to begin this project for the country, which will involve the construction of the largest, most contemporary digital network using cutting-edge mobile telecommunications technology," Idham said at the CelcomDigi media open day.
Both networks claimed 11 first-place finishes in the 15 categories examined by Malaysia Mobile Network Experience survey recently.
Celcom received top rankings for games and voice app experience, download and upload speed experience, and 4G coverage experience, while Digi shared 5G upload speed.
Digi took the top spot in all 5G experience award categories, including video, gaming, download speed, voice app experience, upload speed, and great consistent quality.
"We will integrate and modernise the network in clusters, with activities focusing on coverage and capacity expansion, upgrading sites with the latest 4G and 5G-ready technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output and multiband remote radio units (RRU), to name a few, and streamlining overlapping sites to eliminate duplication," Idham said.
CelcomDigi will leverage its spectrum holdings to build a multilayer, multiband network, including statewide deployment of the 900Mhz spectrum at all sites to boost coverage and indoor service quality.
The new network will provide users with a significantly improved quality of experience practically everywhere in the country, increasing reach from 96 per cent to 98 per cent of Malaysians nationally.
The upgraded sites and capacity will result in a faster more efficient network engine several devices at the same time.
"This future-proof network will help CelcomDigi better satisfy customer expectations, stay competitive, and keep up with the data demands of an expanding digital landscape, while also paving the road for 5G," Idham said.
The upgraded network will be vital in propelling CelcomDigi's objectives to become the nation's new digital growth engine.
It recently deployed pilots in five clusters namely Sitiawan, Rawang, Bercham, Port Dickson, and Kuantan and it was carried out with minimal disruption to customer experience.