Malaysian mobile operator Maxis has said it will sign an agreement to use the country's state-run 5G network.

In doing so, Maxis becomes the last major operator to sign up for the shared network agreement, which is run by the Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB).

Maxis had initially agreed to the state-run network last year before it, along with rival operator U Mobile, backed out of the plan.

U Mobile would later change its mind and sign up to the agreement along with Celcom Axiata, DiGi Malaysia, and Telekom Malaysia, while YTL Communications has also penned an agreement to take an equity share in the DNB's shared 5G network.

Maxis instead wanted further clarity, pushing for a review of the DNB's pricing terms as it was also seeking shareholders' approval before signing the deal.

In a statement late on Friday (July 14), Maxis said it was now ready to sign the access agreement.

"(As of today), there is no alternative wholesale network providers undertaking the deployment of 5G infrastructure and network," said the company, which has around 12 million customers across the country.

As part of the agreement, Maxis said it expects to incur operating expenses of about $79.59 million per year for the access agreement.

The DNB is aiming to cover 80 percent of Malaysia's populated coverage by the end of next year.

The DNB, which was set up by the country's previous government, has seen its network plans heavily scrutinized by the country's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration over claims of transparency issues. This led to Ibrahim's administration reviewing the DNB's plan for a state-owned 5G network, with the DNB saying it was to be the sole 5G network in the country.

Ibrahim's administration instead wants to introduce a second 5G network to rival the DNB's, and is reportedly planning to launch it next year. The government has not ruled out working with Chinese vendors such as Huawei or ZTE.