Penang Port Sdn Bhd has become Malaysia’s first port to run a private 5G network on dedicated spectrum, moving its container and wharf operations onto a system the operator controls from end to end. The network covers the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) and the Butterworth Deep Water Wharves (BDWW), a combined area of about 2.5 square kilometres, according to Malay Mail.
Altel Communications Sdn Bhd deployed the network. Its 5G core and the port applications running on it sit entirely inside the port’s premises, which Penang Port acting chief executive officer Fakhrul Azhar Tajudin said gives the operator greater control over network performance and operational data, and backs data sovereignty and security.
Fakhrul said stacked containers, heavy machinery and gantry cranes interfere with ordinary mobile signals across a working terminal. A dedicated spectrum gives the port full control of its own network, he said, and secures the fast, stable connection that daily operations depend on.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil launched the network. Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, Ministry of Communications deputy secretary-general for Telecommunications Infrastructure V Mano and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission managing director Abdul Karim Fakir Ali attended the ceremony at NBCT.
The port expects the network to carry three main workloads: remote-controlled heavy machinery, automated security surveillance and a replacement for analogue radio in daily communication, The Star noted. Gantry cranes and other heavy equipment could eventually be driven from a control room, while 5G-connected robotic dogs run continuous patrols. Applications that need high availability can run with latency below 15 milliseconds.
Fahmi said the ministry and the commission will study whether 5G coverage should be measured beyond populated areas. The current Coverage of Populated Areas metric does not reflect demand at ports, along railway lines and on major highways, he said, and the proposal could go to the International Telecommunication Union meeting in Doha this November.
“Ports may not have residents, but they are centres of important economic activities,” he said.
The ministry will also prepare a Cabinet paper on extending private 5G to other ports nationwide, including Port Klang. The paper will draw on data from Penang Port and Altel to show how the technology can lift productivity, cut costs and tighten security, and the ministry will work with the Transport Ministry on it, following earlier joint work on connectivity gaps along Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd routes.
Altel Group Sdn Bhd group chief executive officer Dr Afizulazha Abdullah said enterprise digitalisation will depend increasingly on reliable connectivity as automation, real-time applications and artificial intelligence become more central to operations. “Penang Port demonstrates how this approach can create the conditions for smarter operations and stronger business outcomes,” he said.
Penang Port is a member of MMC Group, while Altel Communications is a subsidiary of Tradewinds Group Malaysia. Fahmi urged MMC Group to consider the technology at its other facilities and encouraged manufacturers and multinational companies to explore private 5G, noting that Penang hosts more than 450 multinational companies. He cited DHL’s operations in Batu Kawan, where 5G supports a warehouse that runs with minimal lighting.
