U Mobile Sdn Bhd has reached 90% coverage of populated areas (CoPA) with its 5G network across Malaysia, nine months ahead of schedule, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil announced on Tuesday.

The minister disclosed the figure at U Mobile's CoPA 5G event in Kuala Lumpur on 6 October. He credited mobile network operators (MNOs) for accelerating the country's technological transition and said the government's dual 5G network model has proven effective in stimulating healthy competition, enhancing investment and driving innovation in the local telecom sector.

How fast was the rollout?

U Mobile chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck laid out the timeline. The nationwide rollout began in July 2025. By March this year, the operator had already reached 80% CoPA — more than three months ahead of schedule.

The push to 90% by the end of September earned U Mobile recognition from the Malaysian Book of Records for the fastest 5G network rollout to reach that coverage threshold. The company markets the network under the Ultra 5G brand.

"Ultra 5G now provides Malaysia's widest 5G population coverage," Wong said. "The significance of this achievement goes beyond the speed of the roll-out or a percentage of coverage."

He framed the milestone as a foundation for broader digital participation: helping people communicate, learn, work and access digital services, while enabling entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach customers and take part more actively in the digital economy.

What does the minister want next?

Fahmi told the audience that the infrastructure phase is only part of the job. "We have a bigger task ahead of us, which is, given the kind of infrastructure that has been laid out, how can we convince many, especially in the industry, to adopt the kind of solutions that we believe they should be adopting today," he said.

He described digital infrastructure as fundamental to technological progress, noting that this is true not only in Malaysia but in many parts of the world, as application adoption begins to follow network availability.

The minister also urged MNOs to deepen collaboration with universities at an earlier stage. Changing demographics and mindsets, he said, have significantly increased data consumption among university students.

Why the dual network model matters

The 90% milestone is the clearest commercial validation yet of Malaysia's shift from a single wholesale 5G vehicle to a competitive two-network structure. Wong called the government's decision to introduce the dual 5G network order an important step forward in Malaysia's digital development, citing greater competition, investment and innovation as its effects.

U Mobile has since completed its exit from Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), the national 5G wholesaler, and moved its customers onto its own network — making the 90% CoPA figure a measure of an independently built radio footprint rather than wholesale capacity.

For the government, the rollout pace strengthens the argument that the dual model can deliver coverage targets faster than originally planned. For U Mobile, the recognition from the Malaysian Book of Records marks a competitive first in a market where rival operators are also building out their own 5G estates under the same framework.

With coverage infrastructure now largely in place, attention shifts to what Fahmi called the bigger task: convincing industry to adopt the digital solutions the network makes possible.