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As 5G continues to mature, the battle for indoor wireless supremacy is increasing
At a recent WinWin Live interview at MWC 2026, U Mobile’s Senior General Manager and Head of Network Programs and Rollout, Jaime Chee, Huawei’s President of Huawei’s SmallCell Product Line, Dr. Philip Song, explored a strategic shift that is redefining Malaysia’s digital infrastructure.
By embracing an “Indoor First” strategy for 5G, U Mobile is deploying the nation’s largest-scale indoor agentic mobile broadband network, positioning itself as a leader in the transition toward 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and mobile AI.
A strong business case for ‘Indoor First’
The mobile industry has long understood that most mobile usage takes place indoors. Despite this, ensuring a high-quality network experience in an indoor environment remains a huge challenge, particularly as wireless technologies use spectrum in higher bands that have weaker penetration.
“Data shows that up to 80% of mobile data traffic occurs indoors – whether in shopping malls, offices, transportation hubs, or residences. This means we cannot truly fulfil our promise of ‘ubiquitous’ high-quality connectivity without delivering an excellent indoor 5G experience,” explained Chee.
For U Mobile, its “ULTRA5G” brand represents a proactive approach to tackling this challenge and delivering a differentiated user experience. U Mobile has pledged to roll out over 600 in-building coverage (IBC) sites by second half of 2029, aiming to deliver “full-fledged and comprehensive coverage” that serves as the foundation for mobile AI and 5G Advanced (5G-A) experiences throughout these environments.
Transitioning to an Agentic MBB network
The technical backbone of this rollout is Huawei’s 4G/5G integrated digital indoor solution (DIS). Unlike traditional Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), which often struggle with high traffic loads and lack scalability, the DIS approach provides a software-defined path to 5G-A.
“Huawei’s next-generation intelligent indoor solution was designed from inception to transcend traditional connectivity, serving as an Indoor Agentic MBB Network platform for the mobile AI era with three key characteristics: intelligent pipes, intelligent connectivity, and intelligent O&M,” explained Dr Song.
Distributed MIMO (D-MIMO) is used to offer high-capacity, high-uplink, low-latency capabilities to support AI applications like HD video, AR/VR and AI agents. At the same time, the solution offers sub-meter precision positioning, turning the network into a sensory platform capable of asset tracking and supporting passive IoT.
Combined, these allow the solution to power both the most powerful enterprise AI use cases and the AI IoT which will be essential for the next generation of smart buildings.
In addition, the solution reaches L4 high-level autonomous operation for indoor scenarios, allowing operators to automate network maintenance and optimise customer experience.
“Our collaboration with U Mobile exemplifies translating these capabilities into tangible business and social value,” said Dr. Song.
Building a platform for national growth
The partnership between U Mobile and Huawei is already having a major impact for Malaysian society. The rapid deployment, which today already covers over 80 key sites, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Berjaya Times Square, serves as a catalyst for enterprise digital transformation.
“We recognise that robust indoor 5G networks are essential for enabling enterprise digital transformation and emerging AI applications, such as smart airports, smart malls, smart healthcare, and smart manufacturing. For instance, enabling more efficient IoT device management, smart security and future AI analytics in commercial buildings,” said Chee.
Looking ahead, the next steps for the partnership will focus on introducing even more capabilities, including network slicing and open APIs. This will allow U Mobile to offer customized virtual private networks with guaranteed Service Level Agreements for different industries.
“Huawei will continue investing in R&D to ensure our solutions evolve smoothly to support 5G-A’s full potential. We’ll stand side-by-side with U Mobile, not only providing technology but co-creating innovation platforms to incubate AI and industry-specific solutions tailored for Malaysia,” said Dr. Song.
With a target of achieving 90% Coverage of Populated Areas by second half 2027, this U Mobile and Huawei partnership is set to build a powerful wireless foundation for Malaysia’s economic growth.
Check out our full interview here
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