CelcomDigi said on Thursday it has signed several MoUs at Mobile World Congress 2025 – two with Huawei and ZTE related to AI-powered network evolution, and and one with Ericsson to develop private 5G solutions for Malaysia’s oil and gas sector.
Under one MoU, CelcomDigi and Huawei Malaysia will endeavour to build an “AI-powered fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) network” that will leverage Huawei technologies related to AI-driven automation and network optimisation, Net5.5G for high-performance, future-proof IP networks, and F5.5G to enhance home and fibre connectivity for households and businesses.
Net5.5G is a standard being developed and promoted by the World Broadband Association that aims to define next-generation IP for intelligent transport networks, data centres, campus networks and intelligent O&M that are capable of supporting traffic demand generated 5G-Advanced and 6G networks.
F5.5G is being developed by ETSI Industry Specification Group (ISG) F5G (which calls it F5G-Advanced) with the aim of evolving fixed fibre access networks to keep up with 5G-A and 6G wireless networks and enable “fibre to everything” scenarios. AI will play a role in both Net5.5G and F5G-Advanced development.
Under the second MoU, CelcomDigi and ZTE will collaborate to integrate AI technologies into its telecoms network infrastructure.
The MoU also calls for both companies to explore AI-driven solutions such as “new calling” (phone calls with AI-powered interactive, intelligent voice and video interactions), intelligent deep packet inspection (DPI) for smarter network traffic management, and intelligent O&M to automate network monitoring and maintenance with AI-powered predictive analytics.
“Our collaboration with Huawei Malaysia and ZTE marks a step towards building an AI-driven, high-performance digital ecosystem that will benefit consumers, businesses, and the nation,” said CelcomDigi deputy CEO Albern Murty in a statement.
CelcomDigi and Ericsson target oil and gas with 5G
Meanwhile, CelcomDigi’s MoU with Ericsson calls for accelerating 5G adoption in Malaysia’s oil and gas industry by creating 5G-powered solutions tailored to sector demands.
The two companies will use CelcomDigi’s new 5G Standalone (SA) test lab, to develop and deploy 5G use cases for the sector such as enhanced worker safety and hazard detection, real-time asset and personnel tracking, real-time data analytics and automation for seamless decision-making, and mission-critical connectivity to support critical functions and industrial applications.
Murty said that 5G will help make the oil and gas sector safer, more efficient, and future-ready. He added that CelcomDigi plans to accelerate 5G adoption across other industries as well.
“As CelcomDigi evolves beyond connectivity into a telco-tech company, we recognise that the key to unlocking the full potential of 5G-AI lies in strong industry partnerships,” he said. “Collaborations like this allow us to co-create meaningful solutions that go beyond technology, directly addressing industry challenges and transforming operations.”
