Malaysian 5G wholesaler Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) announced on Wednesday it’s doubling the mid-band capacity of its network, whilst also confirming that second 5G telco U Mobile has offboarded all of its 5G subscribers from DNB’s network to its own.
DNB said it’s currently activating its newly allocated 3.3–3.4 GHz spectrum, which – combined with its existing 3.4–3.5 GHz spectrum – brings its total contiguous mid-band spectrum to 200 MHz, effectively doubles DNB’s network capacity.
DNB originally had a 200 MHz chunk of 3.5-GHz spectrum at launch, but after the government decided to shift from a single 5G network model to a dual model, half of DNB’s mid-band spectrum was taken away and eventually given to U Mobile after it won the rights to become Malaysia’s second 5G operator in November 2024. The new block of 3.3–3.4 GHz spectrum was awarded to DNB by the Ministry of Communications last October.
Over 50 sites have been upgraded so far, with additional sites planned for activation. DNB said the upgrades will improve efficiency and further strengthen performance in high-traffic locations while supporting more advanced, data-intensive use cases such as AI, automation, industrial IoT, and mission-critical services.
DNB CEO Azman Ismail said DNB’s extra capacity – as well as planned investments in 5G-Advanced and AI-driven autonomous network management – will enable businesses in Malaysia to leverage its 5G network to scale their digital innovation efforts.
“With rising demand and new digital opportunities ahead – particularly in AI and enterprise digitalisation – we are committed to delivering a network that not only meets today’s needs, but powers Malaysia’s digital future,” he said in a statement.
According to DNB, Malaysia’s 5G adoption rate has passed 30.3 million 5G subscriptions, or 88% of the mobile market. DNB also said that most of that subscriber base uses its network via shareholders CelcomDigi, Maxis and YTL Power International.
U Mobile offboards from DNB
DNB also said that U Mobile has offboarded from its 5G network, effective 30 June 2026, in line with the government’s dual network model.
U Mobile sold its 16.28% stake in DNB in May 2025, and launched its “Ultra5G” standalone 5G network in August 2025. However, with Ultra5G being rolled out gradually, U Mobile continued to lease DNB’s network to keep its own 5G users connected in the interim until its network was widely deployed enough to support them.
U Mobile said in a separate statement confirming its offboarding from DNB that its Ultra5G network now covers over 85% of populated areas, including more than 190 in-building coverage sites nationwide.
U Mobile CEO Wong Heang Tuck said the completed transition “gives us full control over our network, allowing us to innovate faster, elevate customer experience and introduce more differentiated products and services that meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses be it indoors or outdoors.”
