U Mobile Reaches 90% 5G Coverage Nine Months Early With Huawei Indoor System

U Mobile said on October 6 that its ULTRA5G network now reaches 90 percent of Malaysia’s populated areas, a goal it had committed to hit by July 2027. The operator began building in July 2025 and cleared its first mark, 80 percent coverage, in March 2026.

Huawei supplies the radio layer and the digital indoor system that carries traffic inside airports, malls and offices, while ZTE covers the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. The split followed U Mobile’s win of the second-network role in Malaysia’s dual 5G model, under which a state-owned wholesaler and a private operator run separate infrastructure. The two vendors signed a memorandum of understanding with U Mobile at Mobile World Congress in March 2026 to develop 5G-Advanced services and push the operator toward Level 4 network autonomy, where software handles most routine decisions.

“Achieving 90% nationwide 5G coverage more than nine months ahead of schedule reflects the determination of the entire U Mobile team,” chief executive Wong Heang Tuck said.

Independent testing backs the coverage figure. Ookla named U Mobile Malaysia’s best mobile network and fastest 5G network for 2026, and Opensignal credited gains in reliability, network quality, speed and 5G experience. The Malaysia Book of Records certified the rollout as the country’s quickest after U Mobile passed 80 percent in under nine months.

The early finish matters because the dual-network structure required U Mobile to fund its own build against a wholesaler already in service. Its 5G-Advanced indoor push, run with Huawei under an “Indoor First” plan, is the piece the operator now points to as it tries to convert coverage into enterprise revenue.