Maxis and Huawei Malaysia have teamed up to create a joint innovation centre focused on advancing 5G technology in Malaysia. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding during the Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. The event saw Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang in attendance, underlining the significance of the collaboration.

The partnership is set to explore and develop cutting-edge solutions that will enhance customer experiences and operational efficiencies. It also aims to support the rapid deployment of new technologies and foster homegrown talent within the industry. Both Maxis and Huawei Malaysia are committed to driving technological progress that could elevate Malaysia’s standing in the global telecommunications sector.

Under this agreement, the focus will be on innovations that expand mobile network capacity and explore 5G-advanced technologies like mobile edge computing, network slicing, and end-to-end network orchestration. There’s also a push towards integrating digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to optimise how networks are managed and operated.

Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng highlighted the importance of the collaboration, noting that Maxis was the first to publicly showcase 5G-advanced technology in the region earlier this year. He emphasized the company’s commitment to leveraging this partnership to support Malaysia’s digital goals and drive commercial innovation, while also building the necessary human capital.

Huawei Malaysia CEO Simon Sun echoed these sentiments, pointing out that this partnership follows their first smart island proof of concept in Labuan, powered by 5.5G/5G-advanced technology. He stressed that the collaboration is key to ensuring Malaysia’s place as a regional leader in innovative technologies.

A significant part of this initiative will be the development of local talent. Through collaborations with universities and industry players, the partnership aims to provide training and research opportunities that will equip Malaysians with the skills needed in the evolving telecommunications and technology sectors.

At the MCY Summit, Maxis also demonstrated several 5G-advanced applications, showcasing their potential impact in areas such as remote education, medical diagnosis and rescue operations, and autonomous smart sorting and assembly.