As a sovereign country, Malaysia has the right to determine its own policies on infrastructure development without having to be dictated to by other parties, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said this today when commenting on media reports that the European Union and the United States had warned Malaysia about risks to national security if it allowed Huawei equipment to be used for the country’s 5G rollout.

He said any decision taken by the government was aimed at benefiting the people, driving economic growth and creating a harmonious situation with international issues.

Fahmi said he would be meeting foreign ambassadors to clarify the Malaysian government’s decision on 5G implementation.

“I believe that the meeting will enable the parties concerned to understand Malaysia’s stand,” he told a press conference here on 5G implementation.

The warning, issued to the Malaysian government in April, claimed that usage of Huawei equipment would not only pose risks to national security but also to foreign investments in Malaysia.

Huawei is among companies bidding to supply equipment to Malaysia after the government proposed to review an RM11 billion contract given to Ericsson for the implementation of the 5G network by Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).

Fahmi announced today that the government had decided to implement a dual 5G network once the current rollout under DNB had reached 80 per cent of populated areas by the end of 2023.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency