The EIP collaboration framework follows the “develop, test and demonstrate” approach and to support this initiative, a physical EIP hub and sandbox is slated to launch in July.
“As the nation’s newest 5G network provider, our latest initiative, the EIP, is in line with our drive to promote innovation and the adoption of 5G-A and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions,” U Mobile chief technology officer Woon Ooi Yuen said in a statement.
Woon said the EIP could also be utilised by those who are not existing U Mobile customers, and that participants could tap the expertise, tools and knowledge of U Mobile’s partners to develop, test and commercialise solutions.
The 5G-A sandbox will include cloud and edge access, an IoT device lab, private network zones and live demo zones, as well as a range of tools such as network slicing simulators, digital twin environments and AR/VR toolkits to ensure that innovative solutions or test cases are validated and deployable in real-world environments.
Recognising that effective innovation requires distinct and specialised ecosystem capabilities, U Mobile has welcomed its first eight partners to EIP, and their commitment reflects a shared intent to collaboratively develop and validate 5G-A and AI-use cases within the platform.
The partners fall into two categories, the first being anchor partners which are Amazon Web Services, Huawei Malaysia, Palo Alto Networks and Qualcomm. These partners contribute foundational technologies and core capabilities that support the EIP hub and sandbox environment.
The second category, technology partners, comprises Braintree Technologies, China Mobile International, Meraque Group and ZTE Malaysia. This group brings applied tools and vertical expertise to advance the development and validation of enterprise-use cases.
Woon said the eight partners, who are global and local technology leaders in their own right, represent just the start and that the list is expected to grow to meet evolving innovation needs.
“We truly believe that the EIP will play a catalytic role and support the nation’s digital and AI ambitions under the 13th Malaysia Plan,” he said.