DNB Activates Indoor 5G Coverage at Pavilion KL, Expands In-Building Solution Across Malaysia
TLDR:
- 5G Goes Indoors: DNB has activated indoor 5G coverage at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur through its In-Building Solution (IBS) programme, bringing high-speed connectivity to one of the city’s busiest malls.
- Three Major MNOs Supported: Users on CelcomDigi, Maxis, and Yes 5G can now access consistent 5G speeds indoors — including during peak hours.
- 72 Sites and Counting: The Pavilion KL deployment is part of a broader expansion that has already enabled indoor 5G at 72 major locations nationwide, including airports, hospitals, and transit hubs.
- National 5G Push: DNB’s outdoor network already covers more than 80% of populated areas, and indoor coverage is now bridging the gap for high-traffic commercial spaces.
Seamless 5G Now Available Inside Pavilion KL
Shoppers and visitors at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur can now enjoy significantly improved 5G connectivity indoors, following the activation of In-Building Solutions (IBS) by Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). The deployment targets one of the most frequented retail destinations in the country, ensuring that visitors no longer experience the frustrating dead zones that often plague large indoor spaces.
The service is available to users on CelcomDigi, Maxis, and YTL Communications (Yes 5G), providing them with consistent high-speed connectivity even during peak hours. This marks a meaningful step forward for Malaysia’s 5G ecosystem, which has so far focused primarily on outdoor coverage across urban and suburban areas.
“The activation of indoor 5G at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur marks another important milestone in ensuring Malaysians enjoy a truly seamless 5G experience both outdoors and indoors,” said DNB CEO Datuk Azman Ismail. He emphasised that connectivity has become central to how people live, work, and conduct business — making quality indoor coverage essential at the places that matter most.
From Airports to Malls: The National IBS Rollout
The Pavilion KL deployment is not an isolated event. DNB has already enabled indoor 5G coverage at 72 major sites across Malaysia, with the list reading like a roll call of the country’s most critical infrastructure: KLIA, KLIA2, Senai International Airport, and Penang International Airport all have indoor 5G. KL Sentral, Setia Spice Arena, and KOMTAR are also on the list, alongside key hospitals and Urban Transformation Centres.
The strategy targets locations that experience consistently high foot traffic — spaces where connectivity congestion is most felt by users. DNB is working with building owners, infrastructure partners, and shareholders to bring more commercial buildings into the programme, with additional shopping malls currently in the rollout pipeline.
This collaborative approach extends to mobile network operators (MNOs), infrastructure partners, and spectrum allocation support from MCMC, creating a multi-party framework for rapid expansion.
Performance and the Enterprise Angle
DNB states that indoor 5G delivers more consistent speeds, lower latency, and better reliability compared to outdoor-to-indoor signal penetration, particularly in large concrete structures. For consumers, this translates to smoother mobile payments, uninterrupted video streaming, and AR-powered retail experiences during busy periods.
Beyond consumer use, DNB is positioning indoor 5G as a foundation for enterprise applications: IoT deployments, automation systems, and AI-powered solutions across retail, logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and smart buildings. The reasoning is straightforward — businesses operating in high-traffic indoor spaces need the same quality of connectivity that outdoor deployments provide, and IBS is the technical solution that makes that possible.
Over 80% of Malaysia’s 5G Traffic on DNB’s Network
DNB currently carries over 80% of Malaysia’s total 5G traffic, with recognition from platforms including Ookla, OpenSignal, Glotel, FutureNet, and TM Forum for network performance. The addition of IBS coverage strengthens the proposition for both consumers and enterprise customers who have been waiting for reliable indoor 5G in commercial spaces.
For Malaysian consumers and businesses, the message is clear: 5G is no longer just an outdoor experience. As DNB continues to expand IBS coverage across the country, the lines between outdoor and indoor connectivity are rapidly blurring — and that’s a meaningful shift for a market still finding its feet with next-generation mobile infrastructure.
Our Take
The activation of indoor 5G at Pavilion KL is more than a headline — it’s a signal that Malaysia’s 5G infrastructure is maturing. DNB has spent considerable time building out outdoor coverage, and the addition of IBS addresses one of the most common consumer complaints: great signal outside, frustrating connectivity inside. For a mall like Pavilion KL, where thousands of people shop, work, and transact on any given day, this is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade.
The 72-site milestone is worth noting too. Malaysia is systematically covering its high-traffic nodes — airports, transit hubs, hospitals, event venues — with indoor 5G. This is the kind of quiet, structural rollout that rarely makes headlines but has real daily impact on thousands of users. The collaboration model with building owners and MNOs also suggests a sustainable expansion path rather than a sporadic, one-off approach.
What we’ll be watching next: whether IBS rollout accelerates into more secondary commercial spaces beyond major landmarks, and whether the enterprise用例 (use cases) DNB is positioning around IoT and smart buildings gain traction in the Malaysian market. For now, Pavilion KL shoppers can enjoy one less dead zone — and that’s worth recognising.
