As more people rely on their phones for banking, shopping, healthcare, and everyday tasks, the need for digital security has never been more critical. This growing reliance also increases exposure to cyber threats.

Phone scams alone surged 46 per cent year-on-year in January 2026, with 481 cases recorded, while financial losses jumped 58 per cent to RM27 million, according to the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department.

Scammers today use a wide range of tactics, from phishing websites and vishing calls that mimic legitimate numbers, to “Wangiri” missed-call scams that trigger costly callbacks. Others exploit social media and SMS to distribute malicious links or deploy malware that tracks activity and steals personal data. As these methods continue to evolve across multiple channels, syndicates are constantly refining their approaches to deceive victims, making this one of the most persistent forms of commercial crime in the country.

This has led to a shift towards smarter, built-in network-level security, where threats can be intercepted before they escalate. In Malaysia, U Mobile is advancing this approach through its ULTRA5G network, integrating always-on security features that safeguard users across calls, messages, and data usage.

A new phase for Malaysia’s 5G landscape
ULTRA5G represents a significant milestone in Malaysia’s telecommunications landscape. As the country’s second 5G network provider selected by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, it brings a shift from the earlier single-network model, paving the way for a more competitive market landscape and continued innovation.

This network is designed to deliver what is known as a 5G-Advanced experience. In simple terms, this means higher speeds, greater capacity, and ultra-high throughput.

The rise of ‘always-on’ security
While speed and coverage are important, the defining feature of this new network lies in its approach to security. Traditional mobile security often relies on users installing apps or taking action after a threat has already appeared. This approach is no longer sufficient in today’s threat landscape.

ULTRA5G introduces a different model, where security is built directly into the network itself. As a pioneer in Malaysia, U Mobile has already implemented voice and SMS firewalls at the network level, blocking over 390 million scam attempts to date, and is on track to introduce network-embedded Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) within its infrastructure.

This always-on, multi-layered approach extends across every layer of connectivity from applications and devices to the network and cloud traffic, ensuring that data is protected both in transit and at rest.

At the core of this is intelligent, network-based protection powered by next-generation firewall capabilities enhanced with AI, enabling threats to be identified and mitigated in real time. Complementing this is secured DNS with domain filtering, which helps block access to high-risk sites associated with phishing, malware, spyware, spam, and other known threats before a connection is even established.

Turning network intelligence into real-world protection
These capabilities enable threats to be detected and stopped early, reducing reliance on user intervention. One example is the Scam Call Alert feature, which flags suspicious calls before you even answer, giving users the choice to engage or ignore the call.

Beyond calls, the telco also addresses emerging scam tactics such as fake mobile signal stations. In these cases, users may notice their connection suddenly dropping to 2G, followed by an SMS containing a suspicious link — a common method used to redirect victims to fraudulent websites. To counter this, U Mobile has taken a firm preventative stance by blocking all SMS messages containing links on its network, ensuring that malicious links are stopped at the source rather than relying on users to identify them after receiving the message.

However, while network-level protection plays a critical role, user awareness remains an essential line of defence. Staying alert to common warning signs can make all the difference, from mismatched or misspelled website domains to messages that create a false sense of urgency, or automated robocalls requesting sensitive information such as ID numbers or banking details. It is also important to remember that the telco will never request personal information via calls, SMS, email, or messaging apps.

Speed that powers lifestyles
Speed is one of the 5G’s most visible advantages, and ULTRA5G pushes it further. Users can enjoy download speeds of 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps within coverage areas, ushering in a new standard for 5G performance.

Network performance has also improved significantly over the past year, with download speeds rising by over 50% and uploads seeing strong gains. Powered by 5G-Advanced technologies such as 64T64R Massive MIMO and downlink 8-layer transmission, the network delivers greater capacity, wider coverage, and consistently low latency, even in dense urban environments.

As a result, U Mobile users now experience download speeds roughly two-thirds faster than competitors, along with noticeably improved upload performance.

Seamless coverage, indoors and out
A fast network is only useful if it is consistently accessible. One of the longstanding challenges in mobile connectivity has been indoor performance. Signals weaken, speeds drop, and users are left frustrated.

ULTRA5G is designed to deliver the widest and deepest 5G indoor coverage, extending strong connectivity further into the places where users need it most. The transition between outdoor and indoor spaces is also smoother, eliminating the sudden drops in performance that many users are familiar with.

Supporting the network experience is outdoor-deployed MetaAAU technology, which enhances signal reach and improves overall network efficiency. 

Experience the difference
As Malaysia moves deeper into the digital age, connectivity will play an even greater role in shaping everyday life. However, speed alone is no longer enough. Security must be part of the foundation. That’s exactly what ULTRA5G delivers. With Ultra Security built directly into the network, it provides multi-layer, AI-powered protection from the core, detecting and stopping threats before they even reach you. For added peace of mind, customers can also add on Ultra Security Pro, which offers enhanced protection, including identity safeguarding, device security, and cyber insurance.

For those curious to experience this next-generation network, there is a simple way to start. Users can sign up for a free eSIM trial that includes 10GB of ultra-fast 5G data, valid for seven days HERE.

It is an opportunity not just to test speed, but to understand what safer connectivity truly feels like.

Visit https://www.u.com.my/en/ultra5g for more info.