PETALING JAYA: A report from Internet access and performance analytics platform Ookla claims that Malaysian 5G speeds have declined over the past year.

According to the data gathered via Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence data aggregating platform, the current median 5G download speed in the country sits at 387.39Mbps (megabits per second) as of Q2 2024, dropping from the 506.96Mbps median in Q2 2023.

"Despite initially achieving some of the fastest 5G speeds in the region, Malaysia, with its unique 5G deployment strategy through a nationwide single wholesale network, has experienced a decline in speed as 5G services and availability have increased," Ookla says.

It further says the drop in median speed was accompanied by an increase in 5G services from 9.4% to 26.5% across the same period. This refers to the percentage of known geospatial locations where 5G devices can access 5G service.

Ookla further cites data from GSMA Intelligence estimating that 5G technology adoption in Malaysia increased to 37% from 10.1% between Q2 2023 to Q2 2024.

"The rapid adoption of 5G technology is impacting performance and will continue to do so as adoption rates increase and traffic demand per connection rises.

"This underscores the importance of ongoing spectrum management to maintain high-performance 5G networks and effectively address the increasing demands and new 5G use cases," it says.

As of Q2 2024, other neighbours in the Asia Pacific region, including Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong, clocked in at 341.49Mbps, 135.30Mbps, and 135.50Mbps respectively.

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2024/09/05/ookla-median-5g-download-speeds-in-malaysia-have-gotten-slower