KUALA LUMPUR, 5 February 2026 – China Unicom Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (CUMY) has officially been awarded Malaysia Digital (MD) Status by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). This milestone marks a strategic evolution for CUMY as it expands beyond traditional telecommunications into a high-value digital service provider, dedicated to supporting Malaysia’s ambition of becoming a regional AI and data powerhouse.
Empowering a Madani Digital Future through AI-as-a-Service
Building on the foundation of Malaysia’s Digital Economy Blueprint and the Malaysia Madani vision, CUMY is prioritising a modular AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) framework designed to address real-world challenges by providing localised, intelligent digital solutions across critical sectors.
In the realm of Smart City & Urban Intelligence, CUMY is deploying comprehensive tools including Video Analytics as a Service (VAaaS), integrated smart citizen applications, and intelligent energy monitoring systems. These solutions are designed to enhance public safety and drive data-led urban governance in alignment with national digital priorities. Ms. Zoe Li Zehui, Country Head of UniCom, emphasises that while the company brings advanced global capabilities, "local partnerships are the key to unlocking their true potential" and creating "contextually relevant and impactful" solutions.
Strengthening Malaysia as a Southeast Asian Hub
CUMY is further deepening its commitment to the local ecosystem by expanding its Middle and Back Office operations in Malaysia. This hub serves as a strategic base to support the Group's wider Southeast Asian operations, serving as the engine for regional delivery, localisation, and technical support.
Ms. Sarah Zhang, Regional Deputy General Manager of UniCom, highlights this expansion as a signal of long-term commitment: "Malaysia is a strategic base for our regional growth. By expanding our middle and back-office operations here, we are demonstrating our long-term commitment to the Malaysian digital ecosystem". This growth is expected to create high-value jobs and ensure digital solutions remain deeply integrated with regional requirements.
Collaborative Innovation and Technology Transfer
A core component of CUMY’s strategy is the active exploration of Joint Laboratories to serve as incubators for technological transfer. These labs are intended to allow Malaysian enterprises to access and localise advanced global capabilities—such as the Yuanjing LLM—to supercharge domestic AI application development.
Commenting on the award, MDEC Chief Executive Officer, Anuar Fariz Fadzil, said the Malaysia Digital Status conferred on China Unicom Operations (Malaysia) reflects Malaysia’s continued momentum in strengthening high-value digital infrastructure to support AI-driven growth.
“China Unicom’s leadership in AI-as-a-Service and its regional delivery capabilities demonstrates how advanced digital services can be scaled responsibly to meet the evolving needs of enterprises across Southeast Asia. This milestone further solidifies Malaysia’s position as a trusted hub for AI innovation and next-generation digital services, in line with the ambitions of the AI Nation 2030 agenda,” he said.
Strategic Industry Focus
CUMY’s AIaaS framework will also target:
• Smart Healthcare: Supporting AI triage and remote patient monitoring to increase medical service efficiency in urban and rural communities.
• Internet of Vehicles (IoV) & Smart Logistics: Integrating IoT and AI to streamline transportation networks and national supply chains.
• Customized Enterprise Solutions: Providing scalable AI platforms and language processing tools to help local businesses automate workflows.
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