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With the implementation of 72 5G Demonstration Projects throughout the country, Malaysia is set to lead the region on 5G technology. The use cases involve nine verticals which include agriculture, digital healthcare, education, tourism, entertainment, manufacturing, smart cities, smart transportation and oil and gas. 35 use cases involving six verticals have begun operating from October 2019 till March 2020 in Langkawi, Kedah with the remaining use cases to be demonstrated in another five states.

In a study by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research commissioned by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the implementation of 5G can contribute approximately US$ 3.13 billion to the national GDP as well as create about 40,000 new jobs in the next five years.

Through this, Malaysia is set to have a comprehensive 5G ecosystem which will see many innovative services emerging in various industries. With testing actively going on around the country, we only have one concern, can these results be implemented in use cases in the city. Hence, we prepared a list of three use cases we feel 5G will have the most impact once implemented.

Smart Transportation

This is probably the most important use case for 5G in Malaysia, especially in urban areas. Thousands of commuters use the train services, be it MRT, LRT or the monorail and public buses daily. While technology has enabled the transport system in the city to improve over the last couple of years, the volume of traffic on the usage of services continues to grow. In most times, the demand can’t meet the supply for public transport, leading to gridlocks in train and bus stations.

Furthermore, maintenance issues for some of the older train services often result in lengthy delays for commuters. This is where 5G can have a big impact. 5G can be used to leverage the transport system to ensure connectivity for commuters is always present. Service operators can use 5G technology to monitor their trains and buses in real-time, harness more data and make better decisions on traffic management for their fleet.

At the same time, 5G can be used on autonomous buses or trains in the city. For now, there are tests being done on self-driving buses in Langkawi. While Langkawi may be an easier place for testing due to its low traffic density, the service must be made ready to serve areas with higher traffic volume as well.

Smart Cities

When we talk about smart cities, it covers a very broad range of areas that can see 5G being implemented. But the most notable ones we feel for smart city initiatives that we feel need the most attention are for smart traffic management systems and smart devices for homes and offices.

For smart traffic management, 5G should be used not to control and manage the flow of traffic. Instead, it should be used to monitor the quality of infrastructures in the city. This includes using CCTVs to monitor roads for accidents and debris, monitoring for flooding and also monitoring the quality of roads. Currently, there are cities already testing and using this. Hopefully, once 5G is available, they will be able to cope with the high volume of data.

For homes, connected devices will be key to securing smart homes. Compared to a decade ago, homes today will have at least half a dozen smart appliances that are not mobile phones. While these devices are meant to improve the way of life, they can also be hacked. 5G will enable connectivity to be perfect but at the same time, devices also need to be properly secured to avoid any incidences.

The same thing applies to the workplace as well. From smart printers to biometric tags, they will rely on 5G for better latency. Yet, security will always be a concern as well with the growing number of connected devices in the office.

Gaming and streaming

The gaming sector will see the biggest changes with 5G. In fact, the biggest users for 5G will be consumers and not industries for now. 5G promises zero latency which is exactly what gamers want. The ability to play games non-stop

at faster speeds. We foresee more gaming tournaments in the region once 5G is enabled as latency will no longer be an issue.

The same also applies for video streaming. Malaysians spend a lot of time watching videos on their mobile devices. Telco companies and internet service providers can leverage on 5G services to provide consumers better streaming services.

Conclusion

While there are many other use cases for 5G, including the ones being on trial now, we don’t foresee them being quickly adopted by organisations. Not all manufacturing companies are prepared to invest heavily on modern autonomous machinery to boost their production. And not all healthcare companies are going to invest on AI for medicine. We are not saying this is not going to happen, but it will definitely take some time before all these industries begin depending on 5G fully. Till that happens, the general public will be the largest consumers of 5G, which is why we can’t wait to see it rolls out the soonest possible.

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