BUTTERWORTH, Oct 17 — Penang Port Sdn Bhd (Penang Port) has become Malaysia’s first port to deploy a private 5G network on dedicated spectrum, marking a milestone in its digital transformation towards becoming a smart port.

The network, deployed by Altel Communications Sdn Bhd (Altel), covers the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) and Butterworth Deep Water Wharves (BDWW), spanning approximately 2.5 square kilometres.

Penang Port acting chief executive officer Fakhrul Azhar Tajudin said the network operates independently of the public commercial mobile network, with its 5G core and associated port applications hosted entirely within the port’s premises.

He said this gives the port operator greater control over network performance and operational data, while supporting data sovereignty, security and low-latency communications.