saying that it has not begun formal negotiations with local telcos as the reference access offer was not finalised.
DNB and the Ministry of Finance have said that the cost of 5G data to telcos would be cheaper than what they are currently spending on their existing 4G network. Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz told Parliament that DNB willversus the current estimated cost of 45-55 sen per GB for 4G.
Tengku Zafrul also said the telcos would pay between RM3.5 billion to RM4 billion over a period of 10 years for 5G, which calculates to RM400 mil year. He said this is far lower than the RM1 billion invested by telcos yearly on their existing networks. The single-wholesale approach is aimed at reducing deployment cost and expediting 5G network deployment in a cost-effective manner.
“I always tell the telcos you can keep complaining but if you take the deal and you can give us a good rate so we can keep our cost down then net-net your price to serve 5G is even less,” he said during the interview.which include RM12.5 billion for network equipment and infrastructure, and RM4 billion for startup costs, consultation fees and staff compensation for over 600 employees.