Maxis commits $163M to LTE services rollout

Malaysian telco Maxis has announced it will set aside 500 million ringgit (US$163.2 million) over the next three years to activate its Long-Term Evolution (LTE) services, after the local regulator allocated a designated spectrum band for LTE use last week.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Maxis CEO Sandip Das welcomed the decision made by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to formally allocate the 2600 megahertz (MHz) spectrum for LTE in the country.

"The grant of 4G LTE spectrum by MCMC is an important milestone in our country's telecom journey, heralding the introduction of super high-speed data networks using LTE technology. Now, we are all set to launch 4G LTE services in Malaysia and look forward to rolling out these networks across various parts of the country in the next few years," Das said.

As part of its ongoing network investments, the telco will allocate 500 million ringgit over the next three years to activate its LTE services, the company added.

Maxis has been trialling 4G LTE services for 2 years and had conducted extensive LTE networking tests in a live network environment using commercial devices to ensure performance standards and user experience are optimal, the CEO pointed out.

In addition to building out its own network, Maxis had in July 2012 signed an agreement with Redtone to build common infrastructure to ensure a strong suite of LTE spectrum that will give both parties the coverage they require.

"We believe that network sharing is key to the deployment of networks faster across the country while optimizing industry investments and avoiding duplication," Das explained.

Rival mobile operator Celcom had last week announced it would invest 300 million ringgit (US$98.5 million) to support the ongoing modernization and development of its LTE network before introducing its LTE services in January 2013.