Editor’s note: This article has been amended with new information.

COMMENT | Forget for a moment the folly of a second 5G network for Malaysia, why compound the mistake by awarding that solely to one royalty-linked operator U Mobile who can decide whether to use the others? Were there political considerations?

It has already raised some hackles within the industry, with questions as to why the two main mobile operators - CelcomDigi and Maxis - were not chosen when they have much higher coverage, infrastructure, and subscribers.

This is reflected in the revenue shares of the three - roughly, 50 percent for CelcomDigi, 37 percent for Maxis and only 13 percent for U Mobile. Based on these figures alone, U Mobile has to be the least likely candidate for the award and CelcomDigi the most likely.

Besides, CelcomDigi and Maxis have far more financial resources, capability, and track record with their decades of experience in the field compared to a relatively late entrant, U Mobile.