Malaysian wireless operator DiGi Telecommunications has introduced commercial LTE services in ‘selected high traffic locations in the Klang Valley’, with coverage zones being: Plaza Low Yat, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Kota Damansara, Subang Indah Villa, Sunway Mentari, Bukit Bintang, KDU neighbourhood and Cheras Pandan Indah. Meanwhile, plans are said to be underway to increase LTE coverage in these zones, while expansion to other ‘market centres’ across the country is also envisaged. At launch, however, DiGi has confirmed that while both new and existing customers will be able to access the increased speeds offered, LTE will only be offered via USB dongle or tablet. Looking ahead though, the cellco has said that in ‘the next implementation stage’ it aims to offer LTE on small screens with a suite of LTE-ready handsets.
In detailing the network development, DiGi also noted that its 3G population coverage now stands at 68%, with that figure expected to rise to 75% before the end of 2013. Further, it highlighted the fact that at the end of the first quarter of 2013 it had some 6.1 million mobile internet customers.
Commenting on the strategy behind the LTE launch, the operator’s chief marketing officer, Albern Murty, said: ‘As part of the Telenor Group, DiGi has an added advantage in the market as we can leverage on the Group’s global experience in mature markets on the deployment of 4G LTE. Telenor has a proven track record in deploying 4G LTE with six markets, including DiGi, already operating on the next generation network … To us, creating the right experience for our customers is critical, and to accomplish this, we are enabling 4G LTE services in stages. This friendly approach is similar to when we first introduced 3G services more than three years ago at limited locations before expanding to more market centres.’