U Mobile has been named Malaysia’s Fastest 5G Network for Q3 and Q4 2025 by Ookla, based on real-world Speedtest data collected in the second half of last year. The award uses Ookla’s proprietary Speed Score methodology, which factors in download and upload speeds as well as loaded latency to determine overall network performance.
According to the telco’s Chief Technology Officer Woon Ooi Yuen, the recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects actual user experience. “U Mobile is delighted to be recognised by Ookla as Malaysia’s Fastest 5G Network, and it is especially meaningful as the results are based on real-world user experience,” he said. Woon added that the company has deployed technologies such as 64T64R and Extremely Large Antenna Array (ELAA) to enhance performance for both consumers and enterprises.
Ookla President and CEO Stephen Bye described the award as an objective testament to U Mobile’s performance, noting that the company’s investment and dedication to mobile connectivity earned it the top spot for the Q3–Q4 2025 period. Meanwhile, Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd deputy CEO Zac Chow highlighted Huawei’s role in supporting the rollout, citing its MetaAAU and iBeam solutions as contributors to wider coverage, stronger indoor performance, and more stable connectivity.
Interestingly, while Ookla favoured the orange telco as the fastest 5G network in Malaysia, Opensignal’s mobile network report published last year crowned a different victor. The firm noted that U Mobile delivered competitive 5G performance metrics, particularly in 5G availability, but TM’s Unifi led several overall experience categories – most notably download speeds, which it said were 13% faster than U Mobile’s.
As with most third-party network studies, results vary depending on methodology, metrics measured, and test conditions. While these reports offer useful independent benchmarks, real-world user experience can still differ based on location, device, network load, and usage patterns.
In separate developments, the orange telco had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Huawei Technologies Malaysia at MWC 2026 to accelerate digital innovation using 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and artificial intelligence. The collaboration includes a 3.5GHz dual-carrier trial featuring 3CC carrier aggregation to optimise spectrum use, alongside joint development of 5G-A-enabled gaming experiences using network slicing to reduce latency and improve service quality. The companies also demonstrated peak download speeds of up to 3.2Gbps in dense urban trials, highlighting improved capacity despite limited spectrum resources.
On the same day, U Mobile also inked an MOU with ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation to pilot AI-driven capabilities within its 5G core network using ZTE’s AIR Core platform. The partnership will see both parties conduct feasibility studies on AI-integrated Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), AI-enabled User Plane Function (UPF) leveraging Large Language Models for service identification, and AI-powered operations to automate network management and strengthen security. Through these initiatives, U Mobile aims to transition its 5G core from a cloud-native to a more AI-native architecture, with a focus on improving efficiency, resilience, and overall network performance.
(Source: U Mobile press release)
