Malaysian 5G network provider U Mobile says it has signed on government-owned telecoms infrastructure provider Sacofa as a strategic fibre backhaul partner to accelerate the rollout of its 5G network in Sarawak.

Under the partnership arrangement, which is good for ten years, Sacofa will provide fibre leased-line access to U Mobile’s 5G RAN sites, enabling high-capacity backhaul connectivity to regional interconnect points.

U Mobile said Sacofa’s fibre network – which spans over 11,000 km statewide, will help it deliver on its 5G coverage and performance goals, said U Mobile CEO Wong Heang Tuck.

“By leveraging Sacofa’s extensive fibre infrastructure, we will work together to ensure that Sarawak becomes one of the earliest states to complete 5G deployment,” he said in a statement.

U Mobile – which won the rights to become Malaysia’s second 5G operator in November 2024 – officially launched its standalone 5G network (branded as Ultra5G) last month, and aims to achieve 80% coverage of populated areas across all of Malaysia by the second half of 2026.

Sacofa MD Sulaiman Abdul Rahman B Abdul Taib said the partnership marked a crucial step forward for Sarawak’s digital ambitions.

“Through the investment in 5G infrastructure and collaboration with U Mobile, Sacofa aims to deliver faster and more reliable connections to local businesses and communities,” he said in a statement. “Sacofa is committed to meeting expectations and supporting the objectives of the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 and the Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030 by delivering seamless and reliable 5G backhaul services on its network.”

Earlier this month, Sacofa signed a strategic partnership agreement with ZTE to upgrade the core transport, routing, and optical layers of its fibre infrastructure network.