Malaysia is among the few countries that have implemented a 5G wholesale network model, with all providers currently operating on a single 5G network. However, this landscape is set to change with the introduction of a second 5G network, which will be operated by U Mobile. While providers share the same network infrastructure, their utilization strategies differ, directly impacting the end-user experience.
In this article, we will evaluate U Mobile’s 5G performance compared to its competitors by analyzing key metrics such as 5G Download Speed and 5G Availability.
Key Findings:
- U Mobile has the lowest 5G latency in Malaysia, driving its #1 global ranking in 5G Games Experience among markets in the large land mass group in Opensignal’s 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards.
- U Mobile’s overall Download Speed Experience in June to August 2024 was 6.6 times faster than that seen in the same period in 2022.
- U Mobile’s 5G Download Speeds are 7% faster than the national average.
- U Mobile has the highest 5G Availability score in Malaysia. The operator has been the outright winner in the category in our last two national reports. This means U Mobile’s 5G subscribers enjoy more time connected to the 5G network than their peers.
Malaysia's 5G wholesale mobile network, launched in 2021, has been exclusively operated by the government-owned Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). However, a significant change is on the horizon. U Mobile, the country's third-largest mobile network operator, has been selected to build and operate the nation's second 5G network. This decision follows years of lobbying by operators concerned about pricing, competition, and transparency under the single-network model. The government, recognizing the importance of 5G for economic growth and innovation, confirmed plans for a second network in May 2023. This plan was contingent on DNB achieving 80% population coverage, a milestone reached in December 2023.
Industry pundits anticipate that a second network could alleviate future capacity constraints, spur competition, and potentially lead to lower prices and improved service offerings for consumers. Furthermore, it would increase redundancy, easing single-point-of-failure concerns. However, this development has ignited debate within the industry, with differing opinions on its implications for market dynamics, network efficiency, and the long-term sustainability of a dual-wholesale model.
Malaysia's two largest MNOs, CelcomDigi and Maxis, have expressed their commitment to customers while evaluating their options in light of this development. Media outlets have cited concerns about U Mobile's smaller market share, foreign ownership, and reputation as a low-cost provider. To address some concerns, U Mobile announced plans to reduce its foreign ownership from 48% to 20%. Now U Mobile faces a dual challenge: reducing foreign ownership while simultaneously investing $681 million in its network to hit 80% population coverage, as estimated by CIMB Securities. This has fueled speculation of a potential IPO and opened the door to potential strategic partnerships with other Malaysian operators, which could lead to them acquiring a stake in U Mobile, thereby providing capital and strategic support to fund the network expansion.
According to TeleGeography, U Mobile holds 9.8 million mobile connections and 19.8% market share in the Malaysian mobile market, having grown its subscriber base by more than 460,000 over the past year. Its subscriber growth has been complemented by significant enhancements in network performance.
U Mobile has made significant improvements in Download Speed Experience since the Malaysia Mobile Network Experience report published in September 2019. The operator received Opensignal Global Rising Star awards for Download Speed Experience in 2020 and 2021. Increased scores in Download Speed Experience for U Mobile were partly driven by improvements in its 4G network, which was also reflected in the same reports, with Opensignal recognizing U Mobile as one of the Global Rising Stars for 4G Availability as well.
Continuous improvements in network quality led U Mobile to win Download Speed Experience outright in Opensignal’s Malaysia Mobile Network Experience September 2023 report. The operator repeated its success in the next report, with a 45% increase in its score. This progress highlights the success of U Mobile’s strategic initiatives that the operator implemented to improve the service experience.
While U Mobile's overall download speed indicates progress over time, a closer examination of 5G-specific metrics provides a more accurate reflection of recent network enhancements and the provider’s ability to implement cutting-edge network technologies.
Opensignal’s 5G Download Speed metric reflects the average download speed observed by our users with active 5G connections. In our November 2024 report, our Malaysian users with active 5G connections on U Mobile’s network enjoyed average download speeds of 274Mbps. Meanwhile, the average score observed across the country’s other operators was 256Mbps. U Mobile’s superior performance relative to the market average supports the operator’s ability to deliver on a 5G network in line with established performance benchmarks.
Our 5G Availability metric shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription have an active 5G connection. U Mobile won 5G Availability outright in our last two Malaysian Mobile Network Experience reports, published in September 2023 and November 2024. In both these reports, U Mobile’s 5G Availability score has improved. Though not the country’s largest provider, U Mobile has more effectively executed on this user-centric, time-based metric than its competitors. U Mobile has actively enabled 5G for all its currently offered plans — and for most of its legacy plans as well — without additional fees as early as November 2022. This happened right after signing the Access Agreement with DNB — ahead of its competitors, which still seemed to charge extra for 5G services in January 2024. The operator’s aggressive 5G pricing is likely driving increased 5G usage among its customers.
U Mobile has the lowest 5G UDP Latency among Malaysian mobile operators, outperforming the average score of other MNOs by three milliseconds. Lower latency is crucial for real-time activities like video calling, short-form video, and online gaming, where milliseconds can make the difference between seamless play and frustrating lags. U Mobile's superior 5G UDP latency helped it earn the top spot in Malaysia for 5G Games Experience and contributed to its #1 global ranking for this metric in the large land mass group, where it compared favorably to major telecom brands like SoftBank and Vodafone.
While U Mobile is a mid-size value player in the Malaysian telecommunications market, it is delivering a robust 5G experience, particularly in terms of download speeds, latency, and availability. As Malaysia continues to expand its 5G infrastructure, Opensignal will continue to monitor how U Mobile's role as a second 5G network operator impacts the Malaysian mobile landscape. To stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter.
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