EDGEPOINT TOWERS: DEPLOY NEW 5G IN-FILL SITES QUICKLY, EFFECTIVELY

By Anas Abu Hassan

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- As the nation moves toward the subsequent phases of 5G deployment, new 5G in-fill sites should be deployed quickly and more effectively, according to telecommunications tower infrastructure operator, EdgePoint Towers Malaysia.

Chief executive officer Muniff Kamaruddin said the deployment of new sites for 5G usage in Malaysia is not a straightforward process, as there are many steps that need to be undertaken.

Given that the 5G spectrum runs on the C-band frequency, he said the adoption of a 5G network will require a lot more in-fill sites to be deployed in order to provide a high quality yet stable 5G network.

Hence, the reuse of existing infrastructure such as from the sunset of the 3G network frees up the existing spectrum or bandwidth which can be used for the purpose of 4G deployment.

“This move, apart from the natural evolution of the technology, aims to improve the data user experience and throughput for end users.

“The 5G usage will eventually become more widespread and is poised to take over as the primary network for data in the years to come,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview.

He said the reuse of existing infrastructure will enable a more rapid start in the interim whilst new in-fill sites are being built.

According to Muniff, who is also the chief technology officer of EdgePoint Infrastructure Sdn Bhd, moving customers and users over from the 3G to 4G network is a natural progression for the adoption of 5G services.

“5G services currently run on non-standalone technology, and what this means is that the network will still utilise the 4G-LTE layer for signalling handover purposes.

“If you look at the approach Digital Nasional Bhd has deployed for their 5G network, it is by using existing infrastructure as much as possible that eventually makes the deployment of the 5G network much easier,” he said.

In the meantime, Muniff noted that one of EdgePoint’s unique selling propositions is that it is flexible in the way it works to position itself as an independent digital infrastructure company which then allows mobile network operators (MNOs) to be more focused on their core business.

“Being focused on managing such digital infrastructure, we have to be innovative and practical in our approach to delivering value to the MNOs.

“For example, we adopted an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics tool to help predict, with a high degree of accuracy, areas that require additional coverage or capacity sites,” he said.  

Muniff noted that the company collaborates closely with the MNOs on site selection and on providing innovative and tactile new solutions like light structures for small cell deployment projects.

“We also offer last-mile fibre connectivity solutions to our towers for added ease of deployment of 4G and 5G technologies,” he said.

-- BERNAMA