U Mobile Sdn Bhd has reached 90% coverage of populated areas (CoPA) with its 5G network nationwide, hitting the milestone nine months ahead of schedule and earning a Malaysian Book of Records entry for the fastest rollout to that mark.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil announced the figure at U Mobile's CoPA 5G event in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (Oct 6... event held Tuesday). He credited the government's dual 5G network model for stimulating competition, investment and innovation across Malaysia's telecommunications sector.

"The reason is that we are now at a stage, not only in Malaysia but in many parts of the world, where questions around digital infrastructure are fundamental to technological progress, and the use of applications will start to be adopted," Fahmi said.

How fast did the rollout move?

The numbers are unusual for a national 5G build. U Mobile chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck said the nationwide rollout began in July 2025 and had already reached 80% CoPA by March this year — more than three months ahead of schedule. By the end of September, the operator had pushed coverage to 90% of populated areas.

That pace earned U Mobile recognition from the Malaysian Book of Records for the fastest 5G network rollout to reach 90% CoPA. Wong described the government's decision to introduce the dual 5G network order as an important step forward in Malaysia's digital development, citing greater competition, investment and innovation as its effects.

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

What does the minister want next?

Fahmi framed the coverage milestone as infrastructure catching up with demand rather than the end of the job. He pointed to a bigger task ahead: convincing industry players to adopt digital solutions built on the new infrastructure.

"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 also urged mobile network operators to deepen collaboration with universities at an earlier stage, noting that changing demographics and mindsets have significantly increased data consumption among university students.

Commercial reality versus the coverage number

Coverage of populated areas measures the share of the population within 5G signal reach — it is not the same as subscriber uptake, and neither Fahmi nor Wong disclosed user numbers or traffic figures at the event. Wong's commercial pitch centered on connectivity as an enabler: helping people communicate, learn, work and access digital services, and allowing entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach customers and participate in the digital economy.

The claim that "Ultra 5G now provides Malaysia's widest 5G population coverage" is the operator's own positioning. It follows directly from the 90% CoPA figure, but rivals' equivalent metrics were not part of the announcement.

The minister's assessment carries regulatory weight. His statement that the dual 5G network model has "proven effective" amounts to a government endorsement of the policy shift that ended Malaysia's single-network 5G approach and allowed U Mobile to build its own infrastructure. Both the minister and the CEO tied the record rollout pace directly to that competitive framework.

With the infrastructure build now effectively complete at the 90% CoPA mark, attention shifts to adoption. Fahmi's own comments signal that the next phase of Malaysia's 5G story will be measured less in coverage percentages and more in how quickly enterprises and consumers put the network to work.