Ericsson, UTM and DNB collaborate to prepare students for the 5G era

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 January 2022 – Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) recently announced their collaboration for an education initiative on 5G in Malaysia that will help educate Malaysian students on 5G and emerging technologies. This collaboration will enable UTM students to participate and contribute to the country’s digital economy and Industry 4.0 transformation.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the three parties, Ericsson will open its Ericsson Educate platform to UTM students to provide access to learning material on key technologies. Select subjects covered at an introductory level include: 5G networks, artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, blockchain, cloud computing, data science, IoT and telecommunications.

The collaboration will provide both students and lecturers with access to quality digital learning resources that draw on Ericsson’s 145-year experience in telecommunications and ICT. Content from the Ericsson Educate portal will be provided at no cost and integrated to complement UTM’s online-based degrees and micro credentials programs. Ericsson will also train UTM faculty members to use the course materials as part of the subjects they teach.

The collaboration is expected to reach up to 1,200 students in the first year alone. In addition to content from the Ericsson Educate portal, Ericsson and DNB will also provide subject matter experts as guest lecturers on relevant topics pre-selected by UTM. DNB will also be working towards creating opportunities for course participants to potentially join DNB as interns upon completion of relevant courses.

UTM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail stated that producing world-class talent by developing high-quality graduates is UTM’s top strategic thrust and priority.

He added that UTM’s partnership with Ericsson is also part of the university’s obligation to support the Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint, promote lifelong learning, and enable Malaysians to meet the skills and competencies needed for a developed economy.

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Digital Nasional Berhad, Zuraida Jamaluddin said, “5G will be a game changer in transforming Malaysia’s digital economy and is poised to improve the way we work and play, the way we innovate and the way we learn. With lower latencies, faster speeds and AR/VR capabilities, 5G will allow immersive learning environment and encourage innovation in many aspects of education.”

Meanwhile, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, David Hägerbro stated, this initiative strengthens Ericsson’s continued collaboration with UTM in research and development and will serve to accelerate Malaysia’s IR 4.0 agenda.

“It is a significant step by Ericsson together with DNB towards developing a 5G ready workforce in Malaysia that can leverage the potential of 5G to support the government’s MyDigital vision.”