Right now (or even over the past months) there’s been lots of talk about 5G, 3G sundown, fiberisation and so on. All things that will spark heated debate in a room full of tech and telco heads, but…if you’re closer to Mak Cik Kiah than Elon Musk, what does it mean for you?
Not to worry. Your friends at Yoodo are here to explain.
Actually what’s a G?
The G is for Generation, and not
- Gorilla
- Gadget
- Gold
(sorry if you’re a gorilla with gold gadgets, but this post just ain’t for you)
Network technology is split up into generations, and each generation comes with its own international standards that control a) how the network works, and b) what you can send on it. 2G marked the era of SMSes, 3G introduced mobile internet, and 4G added broadband and video support.
So how much better is 5G?
5G will introduce faster internet, less lag, and more bandwidth. It can also support more simultaneous traffic! So you can do more things at once like video-calling your family while hosting a watch party for your gang’s fave new Netflix series and downloading a bunch of new games. Your connection won’t even flinch.
To make way for 5G, one of the first things telcos are doing is to…shut down their 3G services?
Wait, why we gotta lose 3G?
To put it in the simplest possible terms, imagine that your telco’s bandwidth is like a highway. Your data is a line of cars, travelling in channels or lanes.
Gotta go fast!
5G uses a wider spectrum, which means you can travel in many lanes to get where you want to go. However, 3G uses a smaller spectrum–and it overlaps with 5G. And that can cause every Malaysian’s least favourite phenomenon…a traffic jam.
By phasing out 3G, those channels are now freed up for 4G and 5G to use, and traffic will remain clear for everyone.
So what’s the plan in Malaysia?
We’re glad you asked!
The national JENDELA program has two phases building up to nationwide 5G coverage
- Phase 1 will phase out 3G coverage, increase 4G coverage and mobile broadband speed, and begin fiberisation where tower cables are replaced with optical ground wire. The goal is to expand 4G mobile broadband coverage from 91.8 per cent to 96.9 per cent in populated areas.
- Phase 2 will fully deploy 5G coverage and boost digital connectivity nationwide.
5G is currently set to launch in Malaysia at the end of 2021. The rollout will begin in KL, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, and parts of Selangor, Penang, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak in 2022. 5G is expected to be available nationwide by 2023-2024.
Yoodo uses the Celcom network, which has already begun phasing out 3G coverage in Putrajaya, KL, and parts of Selangor/Pahang/Perak. We’ll be keeping our users up to date on our website and the Celcom website. If you have further questions, reach out to us on social media and we’ll be happy to provide the answers you need.