Asia-Pacific
ZTE awarded top global honour for Malaysian 5G network revamp
What happened: ZTE’s Malaysian 5G network overhaul At a ceremony in London on 17 November 2025, ZTE was awarded the “Best Mobile/5G Service Innovation” by the Global Connectivity Awards, marking its first win in this category. The award recognises ZTE’s role in the ambitious dual‑network convergence…
Headline
What happened: ZTE’s Malaysian 5G network overhaul At a ceremony in London on 17 November 2025, ZTE was awarded the “Best Mobile/5G Service Innovation” by the Global Connectivity Awards, marking its first win in this category. The award recognises ZTE’s role in the ambitious…
Context
At a ceremony in London on 17 November 2025, ZTE was awarded the “Best Mobile/ 5G Service Innovation ” by the Global Connectivity Awards, marking its first win in this category. The award recognises ZTE’s role in the ambitious dual‑network convergence undertaken by CelcomDigi in Malaysia — a project described as the largest of its kind in the country. The initiative consolidated network assets from six operators across four regions — Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak. Under a management system dubbed “Intelligent, Integrated, and Connected”, ZTE deployed three big‑data platforms (site deployment, network optimisation, and value analysis) along with eight tools for planning, commissioning, operations and maintenance — enabling end‑to‑end visibility and control over the rollout.
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
Early results from phase one are promising: network coverage reportedly rose by 15%, download speeds by 25%, and overall network traffic by 15%; at the same time, user‑complaint rates dropped by more than 60%. ZTE also incorporated AI-based energy‑saving technology into the upgrade, a move that reportedly helps reduce power consumption — aligning with growing calls for greener, more sustainable telecom operations. Also read: Driving Connectivity in South Africa’s Telecom Sector Also read: ZTE introduces AI-enhanced FWA solutions The accord awarded to ZTE spotlights the rising significance of network convergence projects in enabling broad, efficient 5G rollout — especially in regions where legacy networks from multiple operators overlap. The scale of CelcomDigi’s consolidation makes this a bellwether for similar efforts elsewhere.
Key Points
- ZTE’s dual‑network convergence project for CelcomDigi boosted coverage, speeds and user satisfaction across four Malaysian regions.
- The project used an “Intelligent, Integrated, and Connected” management model to merge six operators’ assets — the largest such deployment in the country.
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
