Maxis first telco to give first responders network priority

Maxis has become the first telco in Malaysia to give first responders and frontline agencies network priority on its nationwide mobile network. The service, called Mission-Critical Communications (MCC), was presented at Cyber Digital Services, Defence and Security Asia (CyberDSA) 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. It is available through Maxis Business.

The showcase was attended by officials from the Ministry of Digital, the Ministry of Defence, the armed forces and various security and enforcement agencies. The service connects frontline personnel directly to central command centres through a dedicated communications link built for demanding field environments.

“In the AI era, digital infrastructure must be secure, scalable, and sovereign to ensure mission continuity. For those serving on the frontline and safeguarding the nation, reliable connectivity is fundamental. We stand ready to support the armed forces, law enforcement, and first responders with network priority, giving teams the real-time situational awareness to coordinate effectively and strengthen operational resilience,” said Prateek Pashine, Chief Enterprise Business Officer of Maxis.

The service addresses a known weakness of commercial networks during emergencies and natural disasters. When large crowds flood a network during a crisis, ordinary calls and data can slow down or fail. MCC gives mission-critical voice, live video and data priority over regular traffic, so the connections used by police, firefighters, medical teams and other responders stay live during peak surges.

The service goes beyond the voice-only radios traditionally used by security forces. Field units and command centres are linked into one shared operational picture. Teams can combine instant push-to-talk with live video and sensor feeds, which Maxis says supports operational readiness across public safety and essential industries. Similar services run by operators abroad are built on 3GPP standards, the global benchmarks that move mission-critical group communications from analogue and TETRA radio onto 4G and 5G broadband networks.

Maxis showed the service under its exhibition theme “Building Digital Infrastructure for the AI World”. In an industry address, the company said artificial intelligence is only as powerful and secure as the infrastructure supporting it, and that digital sovereignty requires control over the critical dependencies that keep operations running without interruption.

The launch builds on Maxis Business’ record at CyberDSA, which Maxis powers as the event’s main sponsor. Last year, the company introduced Quantum Safe Networking at CyberDSA 2025 to protect government agencies and businesses against future decryption threats. CyberDSA 2026 runs from 5 to 7 October at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, with about 9,000 trade professionals and 160 participating companies expected.