MCMC's 5G smart airport use case taking flight with edotco Malaysia

Almost two months after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announcement on 5G demonstration projects (5GDP), edotco Malaysia confirms that installation is well on track to make Langkawi International Airport (LIA) a 5G-ready island airport.

5GDP is aimed at facilitating, building and spurring development of cases utilising 5G that have potential in the working environment and on a wider context to expand the 5G ecosystem.

As one of eight (8) companies participating in the 5GDP across nine (9) verticals in six (6) states, edotco Malaysia is the project owner of the smart airport use case in LIA. LIA was identified as an ideal location to pilot the use case with its mix of domestic and international arrivals who expect seamless connectivity experience. Its size also allows for the project to scale up for international events such as the biennial Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition.

Solutions deployed in LIA will create a 5G private network for secured access and contribute towards improved overall airport experience for passengers and vendors.

edotco Group Chief Regional Officer, Wan Zainal Adileen commented, "As proud Malaysians, we are privileged to contribute directly to the digital and 5G development of Malaysia. This smart airport 5G use case is testament to our commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure for improved connectivity. Data gathered from this project will form the basis to accelerate digitisation of transportation hubs. edotco is focussed on providing future-ready, right shareable infrastructure to support the nation's digital agenda."

The smart airport use case runs in parallel to and expedite the nationÕs Airports 4.0 digital transformation initiative. It comes almost a year since edotco Malaysia pioneered a groundbreaking installation at another transportation hub, KL Sentral, which hosted the worldÕs first multi-operator, multi-technology indoor solution to provide enhanced coverage and connectivity for users.

As a frontrunner in a use case involving an airport, edotco is anticipating to channel experience and know-how to expedite deployment as 5G technology matures. This will enable edotco to partner MCMC and Malaysia in championing the deployment and uptake of 5G applications.

A total of 32 5G sites have been identified in Kedah, Perak, Penang, Selangor, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur for 5GDP to test 55 use cases. The verticals span agriculture, education, entertainment/media, digital healthcare, manufacturing and process industries, oil and gas (O&G, smart city, smart transportation and tourism.

edotco Malaysia is working with technology partners Peatalk Corporation and Everynet to deliver a dedicated 5G network in LIA.

Established in 2012, edotco Group is the first regional integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, providing end-to-end solutions in the tower services sector from tower leasing, co-locations, build-to-suit, energy, transmission and operations and maintenance (O&M).

edotco Group operates and manages a regional portfolio of over 29,900 towers across core markets of Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with 19,700 towers directly operated by edotco and a further 10,200 towers managed through a range of services provided. edotco strives to deliver outstanding performance in telecommunications infrastructure services and solutions.

Its state- of-the-art real-time monitoring service, echo, has driven significant improvements in field operations while maximizing operational efficiencies in terms of battery, energy and fuel consumption for telecommunications infrastructure.

edotco Group was recently awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2018 Asia Pacific Telecoms Tower Company of the Year Award for its demonstrated exemplary business growth and performance in Southeast Asia.