KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Celcom Axiata Bhd and Ericsson have conducted a trial on fifth generation mobile network (5G) in Malaysia to further develop Celcom's mobile-telecommunication network.

In a joint statement today, Celcom and Ericsson said the trial followed the 5G memorandum of understanding, which both companies signed in Barcelona in February 2017.

Today, Celcom chief executive officer Michael Kuehner said in the statement: “Celcom is committed to developing and continuing the evolution of its network with the latest technologies, to bring the best digital experience for Malaysians."

"5G is very important to Celcom, as it will support the development and meet the communication needs of consumers and digitisation of various industries. It is critical that we explore this new generation technology and its capabilities with global partners like Ericsson,” Kuehner said.

Ericsson Malaysia & Sri Lanka head Todd Ashton said in the statement that collaboration with Celcom was a further demonstration of Ericsson's support for Malaysia in the country's journey towards 5G.

Ashton said collaboration with Celcom followed the 5G innovation centre, which Ericsson and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia set up last year.

“Together with partners like Celcom, we will study and test this new technology to capture the full potential of 5G for consumers, business users and entire industries in the country,” he said.