Maxis highlights 5G use case in education with virtual learning for its eKelas

• MCMC Chairman, Al-Ishsal Ishak gets first hand VR experience joining students
• VR experience offers clear example of immense possibilities of 5G in education

Imagine taking a class to learn about the animal cells, but instead of reading a textbook section about how the cells look like and trying to figure out how the cells function, students go through an immersive experience to see and understand how the different parts function.  

Showcasing the potential of 5G in education, Maxis deployed the use of virtual reality (VR) for Science learning in its eKelas programme for a group of students at the internet centre at Kg Padang Wahid, Langkawi. The curriculum was brought to life by letting students virtually explore the different parts of the animal cells using their hands, all remotely guided by a teacher based in Kuala Lumpur. Students were equipped with a VR headset complete with a unique student-friendly interface, gesture controls, embedded educational resources and simple-to-use teacher controls.

MCMC Chairman, Al-Ishsal Ishak, on a visit to Langkawi also joined the eKelas students to experience first hand, science coming alive.

VR learning with Maxis eKelas programme is the only use case on the potential of 5G in education being piloted under the 5G Demonstration Project in Langkawi.

Gokhan Ogut, Chief Executive Officer of Maxis Bhd highlights the impact the telco is already seeing from 5G through Maxis eKelas, its flagship community programme which champions digital learning for students in rural areas.

“Today, we have over 13,000 students across 10 states connecting through the programme. We are now thrilled at the prospect of how 5G can enhance the programme further and bring eKelas to a new level by exploring virtual reality applications, and we are pleased to see how excited the students are! The VR experience is a clear example of the immense possibilities of what technology can do for education,” he enthused.

Maxis also demonstrated the potential speeds of 5G at the Langkawi International Airport by setting up a kiosk that allows users to enjoy a selection of content on tablets powered by its 5G network.

Making 5G a reality – the Maxis journey thus far

Over the last few years, Maxis has been assessing 5G technology and conducting demo trials in its test lab. Concurrently, it has been upgrading its transport network to support the gigabit speeds and at the same time virtualising its core network elements for flexibility and scalability for the capacity demands of this technology.

In February 2019, Maxis and Huawei signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on full-fledged 5G trials. Following this, Maxis commenced the first 5G live trials in the country, where it recorded close to 3Gbps download speeds.

It also participated in MCMC’s #5GMalaysia showcase in Putrajaya in May 2019, demonstrating how 5G can enable Government and corporations to make informed decisions using the technology. Maxis and Huawei also brought its 5G showcase to Kuching at IDECS 2019 in July. In October, witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, Maxis and Huawei signed an agreement for the provisioning of 5G network, another important milestone in Maxis’ 5G journey.

Recently in November, Maxis and Celcom Axiata Bhd signed an MoU to explore a potential partnership for efficient deployment of Malaysia’s 5G infrastructure. The collaboration will enable both telcos to explore possible business opportunities in relation to 5G key strategic areas to deliver the best 5G innovation to benefit the people and businesses in Malaysia as soon as the necessary spectrum is made available.