Malaysian operator Maxis recently carried out technical field trial in the 6 GHz spectrum band in collaboration with Universiti Malaya (UM), the telco said in a release.

Maxis noted that the trial studied the feasibility of adopting the spectrum band to cater to increasing mobile traffic and to provide better coverage in urban environments.

The trial also enabled UM students to better understand network topology, spectrum analysis and system performance evaluation, as well as the latest spectrum trends, Maxis said.

“Our trial is an example of industry and academia working together for the greater good and advancing technology and spectrum knowledge. This will benefit UM students working on research projects in next-generation network technologies,” said Tan Cheng Peng, Maxis’ acting chief technology strategy officer.

The trial resulted in peak speeds of 1.28 Gbps, using 80 megahertz of bandwidth with a prototype 6 GHz active antenna unit and a prototype mobile device. The Malaysian carrier also said that trial results also showed good indoor penetration and the ability to achieve speeds of over 300 Mbps at locations more than 400 meters away from the mobile site, as well as potential for improvements in mobile signal propagation with more advanced antenna technology.

The telco said that the results suggest that the upper 6 GHz spectrum and new antenna technology could play a significant role in advancing the capabilities of mobile networks and improving user experience.

Last month, Maxis had announced the launch of its 5G offering in the country via the network operated by local state-run company Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB).

In August, Maxis had announced its intention to sign a deal with the aim of having access to DNB’s 5G network.

Rival carriers Telekom Malaysia, CelcomDigi, YTL Communications and U Mobile had all agreed to the wholesale access agreement with DNB.

DNB was set up by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecommunications firms would use to offer 5G services to their customers.

However, Malaysia’s 5G roll-out by DNB had raised concerns over pricing and transparency, as well as worries that a single state-run 5G network would result in a nationalized monopoly.

Due to these concerns, the current prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, had previously announced an overall review of the rollout of the national 5G network due to the lack of transparency. In May, the Malaysian government announced it will enable the deployment of a second 5G network in 2024, adding that a new entity will be created to manage Malaysia’s second 5G network.

Malaysia’s Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil recently said that DNB will continue to roll out 5G network infrastructure in the country until 80% coverage is achieved by the end of this year. The Malaysian authorities also confirmed that DNB will be taken over by a private entity once it achieves its 5G population coverage target.