U Mobile has inked a partnership with two network solutions giants — Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation, aimed at upgrading and enhancing its network coverage footprint further to cater to its growing subscriber base.
The partnership will see a roll out of 1,000 3G and 1,000 4G LTE network sites which will be fully deployed by end of 2015. The deal worth RM1.5 billion of total investment, is a combination of commercial investment and vendor sponsorship.
With the investment, U Mobile aims to provide network capacity and coverage at least on par, if not better than the three leading players in the industry, by end of 2015.
Huawei and ZTE were selected as preferred partners to be part of U Mobile’s expansion plans due to their track record in global telecommunications solutions.
Huawei has well-established end-to-end capabilities, with solutions deployed in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than one-third of the world’s population.
ZTE on the other hand has a global presence in 160 countries and is one of the industry’s leaders in network technology innovation.
U Mobile has been an agile, innovative player in the industry, pioneering several firsts and also meeting demands of its mobile customers. Its Unlimited Mobile Internet (UMI) has been the most affordable prepaid data package in the market that offers the highest data quota and longest validity period.
The young telco is also a pioneer in offering free internet roaming for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers in 9 countries in the Asia Pacific region.
Additionally, understanding the needs of its customers who love streaming media, U Mobile recently offered free data for video streaming on YouTube and Tonton, as well as music streaming services like KK BOX, Era FM, My FM and Hitz.FM.
The official inking of the partnership was done in the presence of YB Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communication and Multimedia Malaysia, as well as Madam Ma Jia, Chargé d’affaires a.i. & Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia.
The partnership also marks four decades of diplomatic relationship between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China.
U Mobile employs a unique network strategy. While deploying its own 3G and 4G LTE network base stations across Malaysia, it also has 3G Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing arrangements with other providers like Maxis and Celcom for nationwide 2G coverage via Domestic Roaming, as well as 3G and 4G LTE coverage.
