KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday his administration will review a plan for a state-owned 5G network introduced by the previous government as it was not formulated transparently.

Malaysia, in 2021, unveiled a plan for a state-owned agency to own all 5G spectrum, with various carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services.

The single-ownership of spectrum raised concerns from the country’s major carriers over pricing, transparency and monopoly.

The 5G plans will be evaluated to ensure they strictly followed procedures, Datuk Seri Anwar said at a news conference following his first Cabinet meeting.

“It needs to be reviewed because it was not done in a transparent manner,” Mr Anwar said, without giving details.

Mr Anwar was appointed premier by the king last month, after a general election resulted in an unprecedented hung parliament. Mr Anwar’s bloc did not win a simple majority but he formed a coalition government with the help of other political blocs. REUTERS