Malaysian telecommunications firm Maxis has partnered with Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) to introduce Malaysia’s first all-in-one platform for 5G network, edge computing, cloud and services orchestration, built on Singtel’s Paragon for telco networks.
The platform will make 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and 5G technology, edge and multi-cloud computing more accessible to Malaysian businesses and accelerate digital transformation across various verticals such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and public services, the duo said in a statement.
The partnership was formalized during the Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit 2024, an event organized by the Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to drive the national commercialization ecosystem.
Made available in Malaysia through Maxis’ enterprise arm, Maxis Business, the platform will enable ‘on-demand’ edge computing services, providing customers with access to low-latency computing, GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) and storage.
With its multi-access edge computing (MEC) capabilities, data from end-users and devices can be processed at the edge. This combined with artificial intelligence (AI) provides real-time processing and intelligent decision-making.
It is noted that Paragon offers a powerful marketplace available to both Maxis customers and partners, making it easy for enterprises to create network slices on-demand and deploy mission-critical 5G applications on MEC – all with the click of a button.
“Our collaboration addresses customer needs by providing a unified 5G platform that simplifies orchestration across network and cloud environments,
“The platform enables greater access, speed and flexibility for businesses to deploy and manage 5G and cloud computing solutions seamlessly,” said Goh Seow Eng, Chief Executive Officer of Maxis.
“This will help them to focus on their core business, further strengthening their competitiveness globally,
“As the country’s leading integrated telco, we look forward to accelerating 5G-A and 5G adoption and the digitalization of Malaysian businesses as the preferred digital business partner,” he added.
Bill Chang, Chief Executive Officer of Singtel Digital InfraCo, said they have seen a strong shift in demand from enterprises for 5G and edge computing capabilities to accelerate their digital transformation.
“Singtel has been leading the charge, forging various strategic partnerships with telcos globally with Paragon, being instrumental in this adoption,
“Paragon enables faster monetisation of 5G infrastructure by reducing complexities for telcos to deliver and scale 5G use cases. We are pleased to partner with Maxis to mutually expand and deepen the service opportunities of 5G and edge monetization in Malaysia,” he added.
According to the statement, the platform’s capabilities can benefit businesses through a wide range of enterprise applications across different verticals that require high-speed data processing, such as real-time analytics, mixed reality and autonomous systems.
The platform will be locally hosted and deployed in Malaysia, to cater to the cybersecurity and data sovereignty requirements for Malaysian businesses.
It is noted that platforms built and powered by Paragon have now successfully been deployed in four ASEAN markets.
With Maxis bringing the capability exclusively to Malaysia, it will be easy for multinational companies to operate with ease, with a common experience and unified architecture across the region.
The deployment is timely given Malaysia’s upcoming ASEAN chairmanship in 2025, where the nation will play a more active role leading the regional bloc’s economic and digital aspirations, said the statement.
It also highlighted that this partnership demonstrates Maxis’ commitment to bringing innovation to the market and enabling Industry 4.0 transformation through real-world use cases.
In addition to 5G and cloud-native solutions, this commitment includes leading the development of next generation solutions in Malaysia around artificial intelligence (AI) and Generative AI, the internet of things (IoT), and 5G-Advanced technology, it added.
Singtel Paragon is a comprehensive solution that enables enterprises to connect with the 5G network and securely deploy their edge computing applications and services rapidly on the telco’s infrastructure, thus reducing time-to-market and shortening the innovation curve.
Paragon will also lower the barriers for adopting MEC services, unlocking efficiency and business innovation for enterprises.