KUALA LUMPUR (April 27): Celcom Axiata Bhd is upgrading its network quality by rolling out four-transmit-four-receiver (4T4R) technology, starting with its over 2,000 base stations in Klang Valley.
Celcom's network is currently supported by over 8,000 base stations nationwide.
At a launching event today, deputy chief executive officer Azwan Khan Osman Khan said the launch helps reinforce Celcom's role in bringing the latest technology to Malaysian consumers.
With this, Azwan said Celcom becomes the first telco in Malaysia to offer this connectivity.
"We are proud to raise the bar of the mobile communications industry in Malaysia by offering the Lightning Fast LTE platform to our customers, and this ties in directly with our corporate vision to continue offering the best to them," he said.
"The Lightning Fast LTE transmission speeds up to and beyond 400Mbps [and] will enable seamless browsing experience for the download of high definition, 2K and 4K multimedia quickly, without having to compromise on quality," he added.
Although the 5G connectivity technology is not commercially available yet, Azwan said rolling out 4T4R represented a milestone on Celcom's technological roadmap towards 5G.
In fact, he revealed Celcom will be having a trial of the 5G technology by next month.
Azwan said the past few months have been an intense period of preparation to ensure Celcom is 'infrastructure ready' to make this service available to its customers and the market.
He added that this technology will be available in Klang Valley from August onwards, and will not cause another round of disruption in its network to customers.
"More important is consistensy, not just about claiming to be the fastest, but the overall experience by the customers as well. As of now, the Celcom 4G service is live in 268 major cities and towns across the country," he said.
Azwan also updated that by end of this year, Celcom aims to realise 4G outdoor population coverage of 85%, 40% for 4G LTE Advanced and 10% of coverage for the 4T4R technology.