KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's next 5G challenge is building trust in its networks as businesses increasingly rely on them for industrial operations and critical services, an analyst says.

Jamil Ghani, a PhD researcher at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said this would require safeguards extending beyond conventional cybersecurity to include supply chain security, data governance and continuity of service.

"Cybersecurity is central, but trust should also cover supply chain security, vendor dependency, software continuity, data governance and the ability to maintain services during major cyber or geopolitical disruptions.

"The goal should be to make 5G trusted economic infrastructure, not simply fast telecommunications infrastructure," he said.