U Mobile has said it plans to complete its 5G network rollout by mid-2026 and won't need any additional backing from the government or new partners.
The carrier's chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun told media last week that the company is confident of delivering Malaysia’s second 5G network.
The Edge Malaysia reports that U Mobile expects to complete the 5G network between 15 to 18 months from now, and has identified Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE as network equipment suppliers.
A second network was proposed by the government as it sought to end the duopoly held by the Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
“We do not need new local partners. We are looking at Chinese suppliers, either Huawei or ZTE," Tan said to the media.
"They are the best in terms of 5G technology. They will be supplying the 5G equipment and provide financing. We need to fork out our own capex together with financing from the banks. But, everything is still not yet finalized."
Tan denied suggestions that the company would struggle to roll out the network independently.
He did, however, note that U Mobile would explore an IPO by the end of this year, but didn't disclose how much the company hopes to raise.
Last week, the company separately announced it had secured additional financing from the CIMB Bank to support the funding for its 5G network.
The Malaysian government approved a second national 5G network last year to compete with the first network, which is operated by DNB.
Launched in 2021, the DNB has seen its network heavily scrutinized by Ibrahim's administration over claims of transparency issues. This led Ibrahim's administration to review the DNB's plan for a state-owned 5G network, with the DNB quite clear that it was to be the only 5G network in the country.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) holds a 30 percent stake in DNB, with the rest split between the country’s five operators: Telekom Malaysia, Maxis, U Mobile, YTL, and CelcomDigi.