Kuala Lumpur, Jan 20 (IANS): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that the southeast Asian country was on track to roll out 5G service commercially by the third quarter of 2020.

Speaking at the launch of the 5G Demonstration Projects in Langkawi on Sunday, in Malaysia's northern Kedah state, Mahathir said 5G has the power to promote an array of new services, improve manufacturing efficiency and spur innovation nationwide, Xinhua reported.

"Since I launched the '5G Malaysia Showcase' in April 2019, preparations to deploy 5G have been progressing well, and I am glad to state that Malaysia is on track to commercially roll out 5G in the 3rd quarter of 2020," he said.

He added that Malaysia's enthusiasm for embracing 5G and new technology would prevent it from being left behind as the world was rapidly developing new technology and using it to boost economic growth.

"Economically, 5G can serve as the infrastructure for innovative growth. The convergence of 5G and different industrial sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, smart transportation, and tourism present new opportunities for industries, society, and individuals to advance their digital ambitions, and deliver new and better services," he said.

Due to its high bandwidth, low latency and boundless connectivity, 5G has opened up infinite possibilities for various fields, bringing tremendous changes.