CelcomDigi is moving to strengthen its 5G position in Malaysia just as Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), the country's national 5G wholesale network operator, enters what the operator calls its next phase of development.

The Malaysian market is at an inflection point. The first stage of the national 5G rollout, built and operated by DNB as a single shared network, is giving way to a new structure, and CelcomDigi is signalling that it intends to remain at the front of the pack as that transition unfolds.

What changes for CelcomDigi as DNB moves on?

CelcomDigi, formed from the 2022 merger of Celcom and Digi, has consistently ranked among Malaysia's most aggressive 5G adopters. Its latest announcement frames its 5G leadership as a foundation for the period ahead, when the arrangements around DNB's network are set to evolve.

DNB's model — a state-owned entity operating one shared 5G radio network that all access providers ride on — was designed to avoid duplicated infrastructure costs and accelerate coverage. Malaysia's government later agreed to move toward a second 5G network, opening the door to a more competitive wholesale environment once the first phase hit its coverage commitments.

For CelcomDigi, the operator's statement positions its subscriber momentum on the shared network as the platform for whatever commercial structure follows.

Why the DNB transition matters

The shift to DNB's next development phase carries regulatory weight. The Malaysian government has linked the introduction of additional 5G wholesale capacity to the completion of the first network's rollout targets, meaning operators' strategies in the second phase depend on how and when that threshold is met.

CelcomDigi's framing of its own 5G position suggests it expects to convert first-phase scale into second-phase advantage, whether through network experience, customer base, or readiness to work with expanded wholesale options.

The company's announcement aligns with its broader post-merger integration agenda, in which network modernisation and 5G adoption have been central planks of its strategy in a Malaysian mobile market it shares with Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia's unifi mobile and YTL Communications.

What comes next

With DNB entering its next phase, CelcomDigi has indicated it will continue building on its 5G base in the period ahead, as Malaysia's dual-network 5G future takes shape and operators weigh their positions in a restructured wholesale market.