23 Nov 2023
TM Delivers Strong Performance Amidst Challenging Market Conditions in 3Q 2023
3Q 2023 Key Highlights (vs 3Q 2022)
· Operating Revenue declined 2.6% to RM3.08 billion, due to market challenges
· PATAMI grew 102.9% from RM265.2 million to RM538.2 million
· CAPEX investment stood at 15.1% of revenue or RM1.38 billion, mainly for network infrastructure expansion
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 November 2023 – Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM” or “the Group”) demonstrates resilience in the face of challenging market dynamics, delivering stronger financial performance in the third quarter ended 30 September 2023 (3Q 2023), compared to the corresponding period last year. This steadfast momentum solidifies TM’s position in the local and global telecommunications landscape.
The Group’s Profit After Tax and Non-Controlling Interest (PATAMI) experienced a surge of 102.9% from RM265.2 million to RM538.2 million, against a revenue of RM3.08 billion primarily attributed to a lower tax impact and reduced net finance costs.
The strong performance of two of TM’s lines of business, Unifi and TM Global played a pivotal role in this growth. Unifi’s fixed broadband subscription increased 4.6% reaching 3.12 million, while TM Global’s revenue increased due to heightened demand for both domestic and international data services.
The Group’s year-to-date (YTD) Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) investment stood at RM1.38 billion or 15.1% of the overall revenue. This strategic allocation of resources is directed towards the nationwide network infrastructure expansion and enhancement of its regional submarine cable system.
Reflecting on the 3Q 2023 performance, Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer said, “I am pleased to announce the significant strides we have made amidst intensified competition. Our commitment to advancing quad-play convergence services, coupled with the introduction of attractive and competitive packages, enabled us to retain and expand our customer base, solidifying our portfolio as the true convergence champion.
“Our relentless pursuit of improving mobile coverage nationwide aligns with our dedication to inclusivity, bridging the digital divide, and fostering widespread digital adoption. By ensuring our services are accessible to all, we contribute to creating a more connected and inclusive society.
“Simultaneously, our aggressive expansion of data and network infrastructure is strategically positioned to meet the growing demands of our domestic market and attract more international players. This is a crucial step towards positioning Malaysia as a digital hub for the region, contributing significantly to the creation of a globally connected digital economy.
“TM supports the recently launched New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 and we are well positioned to unlock technological opportunities whilst driving innovation for the nation and key economic sectors. As we continue our journey towards humanising technologies, our commitment extends beyond services to the development and refinement of smart innovative solutions. It is not just about technological advancement and improving business outcomes but also about enhancing lives, bringing positive impact to the environment and society.
“In summary, these initiatives underscore our goals to foster digitalisation and emerging technologies. Our comprehensive approach reflects TM’s position as a trailblazer in the ever-evolving landscape, with a clear focus on driving positive change and shaping the future of digital connectivity”, added Amar.
LINES OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Unifi Drives Innovation and Maintains Growth Trajectory
Unifi recorded 0.7% revenue growth reaching RM1.41 billion, propelled by effective convergence campaigns and robust customer retention activities.
As leader of converged offerings, Unifi continues to elevate connectivity at home and on-the-go through the country’s best fibre network, superior 4G coverage and an expanding 5G nationwide footprint. Driven by vibrant content offerings, improved mobile coverage and competitive new packages, Unifi caters to diverse consumer lifestyles and digital experiences for Malaysians. Unifi received the Open Signal 5G Global Awards 2023, recognising it as one of the fastest 5G telcos in the world.
Unifi Business serves close to 400,000 MSMEs nationwide and further strengthened its position as a preferred digital partner. Its diverse digital solutions help MSMEs build stronger brand presence and online visibility, enhanced by ultra-speed broadband internet and 5G mobile to empower their business.
Looking ahead, Unifi is solidifying its true convergence leadership and powering the MSME digital ecosystem, driving continuous innovation for the nation’s connectivity needs.
TM One Navigates Challenges, Continues to Drive Smart Innovation
Despite intense competition, TM One remains a resilient and trusted partner for enterprises and the public sector. Recently, TM One forged a successful collaboration with the Selangor government to launch the Selangor Government Data Exchange (SelGDX) portal, positioning Selangor as the first state in Malaysia to develop a data-sharing platform across its 48 agencies and departments. The portal facilitates secure, fast, and accurate data sharing and processing with enhanced efficiency while fostering transparency and good governance.
In August, CyberSecurity Malaysia recognised TM One for its role in safeguarding the Critical National Information Infrastructure through its Security Operations Centre and Network Operations Centre. The award reinforces TM One's commitment to protecting data and devices across all network environments, contributing significantly to national security and opens the door to new cybersecurity solution opportunities.
Moving forward, TM One maintains its focus on managed converged next-gen connectivity, smart services, cloud and cybersecurity while remaining steadfast in providing fit-for-purpose solutions to enable industry digital transformation and economic growth. TM One is well positioned to support the recently launched NIMP 2030, dedicated to enabling innovative solutions for the nation and key sectors, spurring new opportunities and driving continuous innovation.
TM Global Strengthens Malaysia position as the Preferred Digital Hub for ASEAN
TM Global reported a 5.0% revenue increase to RM808.6 million from RM769.9 million, driven by encouraging demand for both domestic and international data services.
TM Global actively contributed to Malaysia’s digital transformation through continuous deployment of 5G infrastructure, HSBB access and edge facilities nationwide. These facilities set the foundation for industry players to offer new innovative 5G solutions and industry specific use cases. Despite market challenges, TM Global mitigated the risk through strong collaborations with industry players in promoting wholesale broadband solutions to drive internet inclusivity for the nation.
TM Global signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SK Telecom for the joint development of Multi-Access Edge Computing and participated in the Asia Link Cable System to enhance submarine cable capacity from Malaysia to Asia, amplifying inbound traffic, laying a solid foundation for the future of Malaysia's digital landscape.
Looking ahead, TM Global remains focused on advancing 5G and broadband infrastructure, whilst expanding its submarine cable system and building regional scale in Content Delivery Network. It will further expand its edge and data centre capabilities, positioning Malaysia as the preferred digital hub for ASEAN.
2023 Market Guidance
| Revenue Growth | Flat |
| EBIT | RM1.8bil - RM2.0bil |
| CAPEX/Revenue | 18% - 20% |
The Group is on track to achieve its 2023 market guidance, reinforcing its commitment to powering a digital future.
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TM Global Expands Network Infrastructure To Boost High-Speed Connectivity For Sabah And Sarawak
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 October 2023 – TM Global, the wholesale domestic and international business arm of TM, today announced the successful deployment of two additional International Internet Gateways (IGW) in Sabah and Sarawak. These IGWs will serve as crucial hubs for international Internet traffic exchange, reflecting the business’ commitment to continuously expand its local network infrastructure and offer high-speed Internet connectivity in East Malaysia. This network expansion will enable TM’s customers in East Malaysia and the neighbouring region to access global internet traffic via the most efficient route. By reducing the need to route traffic back to West Malaysia, these IGWs will significantly enhance connectivity speed and reliability for businesses, service providers and their end-customers. The two IGWs are located in Penampang (Sabah) and Stampin (Sarawak), strengthening TM Global’s existing Internet Exchange (IX) nodes across Sabah and Sarawak. The existing nodes in Sabah are in Kota Kinabalu, Inanam, Elopura, Menggatal and Putatan. Meanwhile, in Sarawak the nodes are in Kuching, Bintulu, Miri, Petra Jaya, Kuala Baram and Tabuan Jaya. Commenting on the initiative, Khairul Liza Ibrahim, TM Global’s Executive Vice President said, “As a strategic partner to enable Malaysia’s digital agenda, the deployment of these new IGWs reinforces our mission to connect Malaysia globally. “More importantly, these IGWs help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak, benefitting densely populated areas and enhancing Internet coverage for communities in smaller towns and remote locations. This will help drive digital opportunities for education, job prospects and entrepreneurship that will uplift these communities into the digital economy. “This amplified network reach also empowers TM Global to curate a more enriched digital experience, facilitating the global dissemination of substantial content at faster speeds while minimising latency. This advancement aligns with the progressive trajectory of 5G technology, demonstrating our unwavering dedication to position Malaysia as a trusted digital hub within the ASEAN region,” she concluded.
TM ONE COLLABORATES WITH PLANMALAYSIA TO ACCELERATE LOCAL SMART CITIES
KUALA LUMPUR, 29 NOVEMBER 2023 – TM One, the enterprise and government sector business solutions arm of TM, has entered into a collaboration with PLANMalaysia to enable local city councils harness smart innovations and create sustainable, efficient, and connected urban communities. The collaboration is the next phase in TM One’s efforts to accelerate the nation’s smart city aspirations and improve urban living across the country. As part of this collaboration, 29 local councils that were awarded as part of the Malaysia Smart City Recognition Programme during World Town Planning Day 2023, will have access to TM One’s Proof of Concept trials (POCs). Spanning a selection from TM One’s smart services suite, the POCs allow councils to test solutions suited to their localities, enabling them to make empowered decisions in their smart city development efforts. Shazurawati Abd Karim, TM One’s Executive Vice President said, “TM One has always been at the forefront of enabling the country’s smart city initiatives, helping councils nationwide push the boundaries of urban living through smart innovations. Among our recent success stories were Smart City projects in Ipoh, Pengerang, Seberang Prai, Kulai, Port Dickson and Subang Jaya, which experienced reduced time in traffic, lower carbon emissions, and improved response efficiency through solutions such as TM One’s Smart Traffic Management and Smart Surveillance.” Building on these successes, TM One will be offering POCs for the following services: 1. Unified Enforcement System – automation and insight analysis of various local council operation enforcement services that help local councils manage larger communities better; 2. Smart City App – a one stop app for local councils’ e-government services; and 3. Smart Workforce – a system that helps local councils manage field teams in real-time. These services will help councils in their journey towards becoming full-fledged smart cities, as well as improve overall efficiency in their operations and services to their communities. “Through these POCs, we aim to help the government implement Smart Services in more locations, bringing these technologies closer to everyday Malaysians and improving their way of life. This reflects TM’s role in powering a digital nation and enabling transformation for communities, businesses and Government,” concluded Shazurawati.
TM R&D inks MoU with ZTE to collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd (ZTE), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, to collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50Gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia. The MoU was signed by Dr Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D and Steven Ge, Chief Executive Officer, ZTE Malaysia. Under this agreement, TM R&D and ZTE will jointly explore the capabilities of next-generation Passive Optical Network (PON) access technology, 50GPON, to support various application scenarios. In addition, both entities will look into use cases that can deliver ultra-broadband access to the government, enterprise and consumers, as well as support the requirements of innovative services such as 5G, Cloud Virtual Reality (VR), industrial intelligent manufacturing for high bandwidth, low latency & jitter, and clock synchronisation, all of which will enhance the user experience in Malaysia. Commenting on the MoU, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, “TM R&D is committed to conducting research on future technologies and innovating new value-added smarter eco-systems that will improve the quality of user experience, and ultimately bring a positive impact on their lives. This fits well into the TM Group’s transformation towards becoming a human-centred TechCo. We are very excited to partner with a renowned global player such as ZTE to innovate on future generation PON technology in line with the global trend and technology roadmap.” Meanwhile, Steven Ge, Chief Executive Officer, ZTE Malaysia shared, “With Gigabit home broadband services widely used in Malaysia at present, and the basic fixed network is in the time window of evolution from GPON to 10G PON, this partnership could not have come at a better time.” “ZTE is pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with TM R&D on future research in next-generation PON technology supporting Digital Malaysia,” he added.
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