Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) has appointed five new board members, comprising senior leaders from the telecommunications and technology industry. The move follows the share subscription agreements (SSAs) signed between DNB, Minister of Finance Incorporated, and five Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on 1 December 2023.
The five will join two other incumbent members, treasury secretary general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican and digital ministry deputy secretary general Ma Sivanesan Marimuthu, on DNB’s board. The state-owned company noted that appointments for the new members are effective 24 April 2024.
The new appointees include CelcomDigi director Datuk Kamal Khalid, Maxis Broadband director Uthaya Kumar A/L K Vivekananda, U Mobile director Chang Yit Fei and alternate director Tan Kok Leong, Telekom Malaysia director Nik Azli Abu Zahar and alternate director Mohamed Tajul Mohamed Sultanand, as well as YTL Power International director Datuk Seri Yeoh Seok Hong and alternate director Datuk Dr. Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek.
In a statement, DNB said it looks forward to obtaining valuable input and direction from the newly constituted board in driving the advancement of Malaysia’s digital infrastructure and the adoption of 5G technology across industries, enterprises, the public sector and consumers.
With the new members appointed, the next step is Malaysia’s shift to a dual 5G network model. Comms minister Fahmi Fadzil revealed yesterday during a press conference that the policy will continue and a follow-up announcement will be made by sometime next week.
On a related note, Channel News Asia (CNA) published a report last week alleging that the 5G rollout has seemingly broken down due to lack of clarity. DNB refuted the article shortly after, insisting that it has been transparent with the award of tenders and contracts for the network deployment.
(Source: New Straits Times)
