Malaysian mobile network operator Celcom is reportedly hopeful of achieving 100% network coverage in the state of Sabah within two years, New Straits Times Online reports, citing its East Malaysia head of sale Choo Meng Chung. Commenting on the current status of the network at the launch of a new 4G-enabled tariff – ‘Internet of Xpax’ – Choo noted: ‘The telecommunications company has invested in 3G and 4G LTE technology infrastructure development … At present, there are more than 100 3G coverage sites, while more than 90 4G LTE sites are available in major towns and some suburban areas in Sabah.’
As noted in TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, April 2013 saw Celcom announce the introduction of commercial LTE services in the Klang Valley, with around 70 4G sites in the region switched on at launch. Having spent MYR923 million in 2013, mainly on ‘network modernisation, LTE and IT transformation’, by the end of that year Celcom had deployed close to 700 LTE-enabled base stations, while in May 2014 it was confirmed that the operator was aiming to have rolled out 2,014 active 4G LTE sites nationwide by the end of the year.