On September 1, 2026, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) opened a public consultation on the regulatory and technical frameworks that govern international roaming-based connectivity services in Malaysia, including through eSIM solutions. The consultation runs under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), the statute that vests MCMC with authority over radiocommunications, spectrum and communications apparatus. Submissions go to [email protected], and MCMC has not fixed a closing date in the notice itself, so affected operators should treat the window as open and file promptly.
The move matters because it is the first MCMC consultation to pair international roaming connectivity with eSIM provisioning as a single regulatory question. Malaysian mobile network operators (MNOs), MVNOs, eSIM connectivity providers and their international roaming partners will all have to file submissions and, depending on the outcome, reconfigure provisioning systems, revisit commercial roaming agreements and align type-approval practice with whatever technical framework MCMC finalizes under Act 588.
What does the consultation cover?
The consultation notice and its accompanying public consultation paper ask stakeholders how the use and provisioning of international roaming-based connectivity, including eSIM solutions, should be regulated. Under Act 588, MCMC sets communications technical standards and licensing conditions, so this consultation signals that the existing roaming and equipment frameworks are under review before any new obligations bind. The paper addresses the architecture of roaming-based connectivity, eSIM provisioning and download mechanics, consumer protection across borders, and the technical conditions under which non-resident providers can deliver roaming connectivity in Malaysia.
Who must respond, and who is exposed?
The consultation is directed at the full roaming value chain. Malaysian MNOs (Maxis, CelcomDigi, U Mobile and YTL/Yes), MVNOs operating on their networks, eSIM connectivity providers and aggregators, and international roaming partners whose subscribers roam into Malaysia are all in scope. Device makers selling handsets and connected devices into Malaysia also carry exposure, because any eSIM provisioning or type-approval requirement set under Act 588 reaches them through the SIRIM QAS certification path.
For these actors the cost of silence is concrete. The rules MCMC writes after this consultation will define roaming interconnection obligations, eSIM provisioning permissions and the compliance baseline for selling roaming connectivity in Malaysia. A written submission is the only formal channel to shape thresholds, transition periods and technical specifications before they become binding subsidiary legislation or MCMC directions.
How does this fit MCMC's eSIM track?
This consultation is the next milestone on a documented MCMC eSIM regulatory track. In December 2024, MCMC ran a consultation proposing to make eSIM mandatory by 2026, a proposal covered at the time by Malaysian specialist press. The September 1, 2026 notice narrows the focus to international roaming-based connectivity delivered through eSIM, which practitioners should read as the roaming-specific follow-up to the earlier device-eSIM mandate work. A short timeline locates it:
| Date | MCMC eSIM and roaming milestone |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | MCMC consultation proposing mandatory eSIM by 2026 |
| September 1, 2026 | Public consultation opens on international roaming-based connectivity, including eSIM |
| Next, not yet dated | Consultation closes, then MCMC may issue directions or technical standards under Act 588 |
What should compliance teams do now?
Five concrete steps follow from the notice. First, download the consultation paper and map its questions onto your roaming agreements and eSIM provisioning stack. Second, assess whether your current SIRIM QAS type approvals and MCMC licences cover the eSIM provisioning scenarios the paper raises. Third, brief your commercial roaming and technical compliance teams together, because the consultation touches pricing, interconnection and equipment approval at once. Fourth, prepare a written submission to [email protected] and watch the MCMC announcements page for the closing date. Fifth, track the follow-up: consultations on binding instruments typically surface obligations before they bind, and the resulting directions or technical standards will land under Act 588.
Continuous, per-jurisdiction regulatory monitoring surfaces this kind of consultation the moment MCMC publishes it.
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The closing checklist is short. Confirm whether your business is an MNO, MVNO, eSIM provider or roaming partner exposed to the Malaysian market; review the consultation paper against your provisioning systems and roaming agreements; file comments to [email protected] before the window shuts; and brief the teams that will implement whatever MCMC finalizes under Act 588. Obsidian follows this roaming and eSIM track so compliance teams can act on the next MCMC step without watching the site by hand.
