25 May 2022
TM records steady performance in 1Q2022 with revenue & PATAMI up 2.9% & 4.4%; maintains focus on its growth strategies execution
In the second year of its Transformation, the Group is on track to achieve its 2022 market guidance, focusing on strengthening its core businesses and investing in new growth areas
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) continued its growth trajectory and long-term business sustainability, recording a steady performance in its First Quarter ended 31 March 2022 as compared to the same period last year (YoY).
The Group's operating revenue increased by 2.9% to RM2.89 billion, compared to RM2.81 billion in the same quarter last year, driven primarily by increased demand for voice, Internet and multimedia. Despite rising competition to offer converged solutions among telco and other technology players, TM continued to deliver strong customer growth across its operations.
Capitalising on its core businesses and investing into new growth areas, TM further ramped up its transformation initiatives, delivering profit after tax and non-controlling interests (PATAMI) for the quarter at RM339.9 million or 4.4% higher than the RM325.5 million recorded in 1Q2021. The Group also recorded lower financial costs subsequent to the early redemption of its RM2.0 billion sukuk in March 2021, as well as lower foreign exchange translation losses on borrowings. The Group has applied the Cukai Makmur statutory tax rate accordingly for the current quarter.
Accelerating into the second year of its Transformation, TM brought forward its manpower optimisation to enable earlier realisation of expected benefits to the Group. This, along with foreign exchange impact on trade settlement has led to a 5.0% decrease in EBIT at RM560.4 million for 1Q2022 compared to RM589.7 million in the same quarter last year. Excluding these costs, the Group's underlying EBIT is 14.0% higher at RM650.2 million compared to RM570.5 million in 1Q 2021. Free Cash Flow is lower by 15.1% at RM658.8 million compared to RM775.7 million due to higher CAPEX as the Group continues to invest in business expansion and meeting customers' demands through technology refresh and network delivery, ensuring steady growth.
unifi: Double-digit revenue and subscriber growth
unifi continued its growth performance, recording revenue increase of 10.6% from RM1.25 billion to RM1.38 billion in the current quarter. Sustained by increasing demand from Internet, voice and sales of devices, with cumulative fixed Internet subscribers increasing by 17.5% against the corresponding quarter last year. unifi remains the largest growth contributor for the Group.
unifi will continue to maintain its leadership in fixed broadband and enhance its Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC), enriched with TV and streaming content. This reflects its commitment to improve its FMC customer experience with better and seamless service. unifi will also grow its SME digital platform as a one-stop service centre for solutions catering especially to SMEs nationwide.
TM Wholesale (TMW): Higher revenue from increased demand for data services
TM Wholesale (TMW) also recorded a growth performance for 1Q2022, with revenue increasing by 1.2% from RM631.9 million in 1Q2021 to RM639.5 million, mainly contributed by higher revenue from voice and data services. This was underpinned by increasing demand from High-speed Broadband Access (HSBA) and higher International Voice and Data.
To date, TMW continues to enable industry broadband and 4G network via its fibre infrastructure, with the ongoing 5G rollout further strengthening that role. On the international front, it will continue to serve other OTTs and hyperscalers with connectivity and data centres, while regionally, TM Wholesale aspires to establish Malaysia as a digital hub for ASEAN via new submarine cables, enhanced data centre solutions and edge computing.
TM One: Renewed focus on growing B2B digital solutions market
TM One, the Group's enterprise and public sector arm, recorded a 7.4% decrease in revenue from RM925.2 million to RM856.8 million in 1Q2022 due to decline in data services revenue.
Strengthening and growing its B2B digital solutions, TM One has focused its efforts on high potential industry verticals, namely healthcare, manufacturing, education, oil & gas, banking, financial services & insurance (BFSI) and public sector. It has entered a partnership with Tune Protect and Huawei Malaysia that saw Tune Protect becoming the first organisation in Malaysia to host an insurance core system on public cloud (Cloud αEdge).
Commentary and Outlook from Imri Mokhtar, TM Group Chief Executive Officer
"With our economy and borders reopening, TM is powering Malaysia's journey on its road towards recovery, by ensuring the vision of an inclusive and extensive Digital Malaysia becomes a reality.
"Into the second year of our Transformation, we are focused on strengthening our core business while investing into new growth areas to meet customers' demands. In ensuring sustainability in the long run, we continue to grow our profitability to invest and seize opportunities arising from digital acceleration.
"One of these opportunities is in the exciting space of digital solutions and services for enterprises. Building on TM One's existing capability and relationships with enterprises and the public sector, we will deliver speed and agility through our new digital arm Credence: a corporate start-up led by technology leaders.
"unifi continues to better its fixed broadband and Fixed-Mobile Convergence value proposition to improve customer experience, while expanding our offerings to provide quality entertainment to customers at home or on-the-go.
"We have also achieved some key milestones in our sustainability efforts. TM One has successfully secured the Green Electricity Tariff from Tenaga Nasional Berhad for its data centres in Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya and Johor Bahru, contributing to a lower carbon footprint as the demand for cloud storage inevitably increases. This is in addition to the existing Green Building Index (GBI) certification earlier obtained for its core data centres. TM's broader ESG commitment also remains consistent with Malaysia's initiatives towards achieving net-zero Greenhouse Gas emission for the country by 2050.
"Meanwhile, TM Wholesale continues to establish Malaysia as a regional digital hub via new submarine cables, edge computing, data centres and supporting international connectivity. On the domestic front, TM Wholesale continues performing its role as the enabler for industry broadband, 4G and 5G network via fibre infrastructure that will transform the nation's connectivity capabilities."
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TM Wholesale and radian arc collaborate to expand cloud gaming offerings to the ASEAN market
Collaboration signifies TM’s commitment to expand cloud gaming in the ASEAN region, leveraging Radian Arc’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Edge Point of Presence TM Wholesale, the domestic and international wholesale business arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), today announced a partnership with cloud infrastructure provider Radian Arc to expand its cloud gaming offerings in Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. The collaboration will see both parties leveraging each other's strengths to provide users with high-quality content and cloud-gaming experiences. Through this partnership, both companies will collaborate to deploy a new point of presence (PoP) in Malaysia, utilising Radian Arc's proprietary GPU Edge technology. This PoP will enhance TM Wholesale's cloud-based gaming solutions as well as other real-time applications that use similar technology. The availability of this robust platform ensures that these central processing units (CPUs) can provide relevant applications at a lower cost to serve. Following the rollout of the cloud gaming platform, TM Wholesale and Radian Arc intend to make an array of cloud-based applications, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IOT) accessible to users in order to accelerate digital transformation and adoption, which is pivotal to Malaysia's digital aspirations. Radian Arc is also partnering with cloud gaming platform Blacknut to bring their games catalogue to the region, reinforcing TM Wholesale's vision of providing better cloud gaming solutions. Through this partnership, TM Wholesale will be able to offer over 500 family-friendly premium games to service providers, with lower latency and faster start times for their customers. Commenting on the collaboration, Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, Executive Vice President of TM Wholesale said, "TM Wholesale has always been committed to promoting Malaysia's transition to an advanced digital economy, and given the meteoric rise of cloud gaming, we've shifted gears to put this into a higher drive. "Our collaboration with Radian Arc is among our efforts to fulfil the demands of the gaming industry, while exploring opportunities in other emerging technologies such as cloud and edge computing, and ensure customers enjoy high-quality digital experiences. "This is in line with our aspiration to position Malaysia as a regional digital hub and expand our reach via edge computing platforms to provide better user experience for next-generation applications and games," he added. "As we continue to expand access to cloud gaming around the world, we want to find partners who can elevate our service offerings to telcos and improve the gaming experiences we provide to players," said David Cook, CEO of Radian Arc. "The collaboration will also look into possibilities for future applications leveraging TM's extensive network coverage, allowing us and Blacknut to improve the quality of cloud gaming for customers in Malaysia and the surrounding regions." The collaboration with Radian Arc symbolizes a new era of gaming for TM, harnessing the benefits of GPU Edge technology to deliver high-quality digital experiences to end users.
TM DELIVERS LANDMARK 2022 PERFORMANCE (FY2022) Revenue up 5.1% at RM12.12 billion; EBIT up 22.2% at RM2.09 billion; PATAMI up 27.7% at RM1.14 billion
FY2022 Key Highlights (vs FY2021) · Operating Revenue grew 5.1% from RM11.53 billion to RM12.12 billion, with growth across all customer segments and product lines · EBIT grew 22.2% from RM1.71 billion to RM2.09 billion, driven by strong revenue growth and improved cost efficiency · PATAMI grew 27.7% from RM0.90 billion to RM1.14 billion, contributed by lower financing cost · CAPEX investment at 20.0% of revenue or RM2.43 billion, highest in 5 years primarily on growth in fibre service and network expansion · Final interim dividend at 7.5 sen per share declared amounting to RM286.6 million, with total dividend of 16.5 sen per share amounting to RM627.5 million for 2022 · ESG rating upgraded, FTSE Russell rated 3.6 from 3.1 in 2021; CDP rated ‘B’ from ‘C’ in 2021. Both above industry average · FY2022 overall performance showed strong results with good trajectory and operational excellence across all lines of business The financial year 2022 (FY2022) performance, ended 31 December 2022, represents Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s (TM) progress of its 3-year transformation programme (2021-2023). Moving into the final year of this transformation phase, TM remains committed to its focus in delivering value to its stakeholders. Operating revenue grew by 5.1% to RM12.12 billion, from RM11.53 billion in 2021, fuelled by demand in connectivity, solutions and infrastructure. TM continued to strengthen its core businesses across Unifi, TM One and TM Global amidst intensified competition in the market. Through revenue growth and improved cost efficiency, TM’s Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) grew by 22.2% to RM2.09 billion, from RM1.71 billion last year. Profit After Tax and Minority Interest (PATAMI) rose to RM1.14 billion from RM0.90 billion, up 27.7% through higher operating profit and lower financing cost. Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) stood at 20.0% of overall revenue, amounting to RM2.43 billion invested to deliver growth in fibre services, network modernisation and upgrades. Unifi’s continuous growth momentum Unifi continues its leadership in converged solutions of fixed broadband, mobile services, digital content and solutions for both consumers and MSMEs, recording a revenue growth of 7.5% from RM5.22 billion to RM5.61 billion contributed by increased number of home and MSME customers. Unifi fixed broadband customers grew by 9.3% and exceeded the 3 million mark in 2022. To celebrate this milestone, customers were rewarded with free viewing of all 72 Unifi TV channels for one month, as well as pay-per-view movie discounts in appreciation for their trust and loyalty. Unifi launched its 5G services in November 2022, offering Uni5G plans to Unifi Mobile postpaid and prepaid customers. 5G will reinforce TM’s converged leadership to provide the widest and fastest all-in-one solution for fixed broadband, mobile service and digital content. Unifi Business’ digital solutions continue to boost and support MSME’s digitalisation needs from cloud storage, eCommerce hub, cybersecurity and digital marketing, serving critical needs from connectivity to digital solutions, accelerating their business growth. TM One drives enterprise-grade innovative solutions TM One reported a 0.5% growth in revenue from RM3.32 billion to RM3.34 billion in 2022, after several years of revenue decline amidst changing market dynamics and competitive landscape. This is attributed to higher recurring revenue and bespoke solutions deployment, as a trusted technology partner for large enterprises and the Government. Utilisation of data centre space and power have also increased in 2022. The twin-core data centre of KVDC and IPDC have obtained Green Electricity Tariff (GET) from TNB as well as Green Building Index (GBI) and Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) certifications. To strengthen its partner ecosystem, TM One launched ‘5G Sphere’ in October 2022 and today counts on over 70 leading technology and smart solution partners to accelerate the co-creation of 5G use-cases. On the other hand, Credence is advancing enterprise’s ‘cloud-first strategy’ as well as developing technologically-skilled professionals to accelerate cloud adoption in Malaysia. TM Global positions Malaysia forward as a digital hub in the region TM Global (rebranded from TM Wholesale) delivered a strong performance which made a significant contribution to the overall 2022 performance. TM Global’s revenue grew 7.8% from RM2.58 billion to RM2.78 billion, on the back of higher domestic data and international digital demand. Domestically, TM Global is the preferred partner for High-Speed Broadband Access (HSBA) with the highest new installation in 4Q 2022. Advancing the country’s 5G rollout, almost 4,000 fiberisation sites were completed for the year. Internationally, TM Global closed deals from US-based hyperscalers and Asia-Pacific carriers for its wholesale data centre solutions and international data services, elevating Malaysia as a trusted digital hub for the ASEAN region. Commentary and Outlook from Dato’ Imri Mokhtar, TM Group Chief Executive Officer “2022 was a milestone year for TM, tracking well in our transformation with growth across our business segments – Unifi, TM One and TM Global, and cost efficiency improvement. The stronger financial position places TM in a position to deliver better value and benefits for our stakeholders – customers, shareholders, partner ecosystem and community. “TM is committed to continuously invest in shaping a Digital Malaysia through technology that empowers communities, businesses and Government – not just in our core business, but also in new, adjacent growth areas such as cloud, data centre, cybersecurity and platform-services. “Sustainability will also be a domain we strive to make continuous progress. We have seen improvements in TM’s ESG ratings, for example the FTSE Russell ESG score rising from 3.1 to 3.6 in 2022 and also the CDP rating upgrade to ‘B’ from ‘C’ last year, both above the industry average. On governance, TM upholds transparency, disclosure and zero-tolerance to all forms of corruption, receiving the Gold Category in the recent Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption Award (AIGA) 2022. “As part of TM’s next transformation to become a human-centred TechCo, we announced a reorganisation in December 2022 to streamline our core businesses and subsidiaries under a new entity named TM Technology Services Sdn Bhd (TM Tech). TM Tech is set to become the main operating entity of the Group with effect from 1 March 2023. This new corporate structure will be the catalyst for the next phase of TM’s transformation to reinforce its fixed-mobile convergence leadership, further improve operational efficiencies and deliver a more seamless customer experience. “On the back of our current business momentum, there are new opportunities in the adjacent growth areas but also industry headwinds in terms of regulatory policy and higher technology costs. We are continuously assessing the impact of industry developments and will work closely with key stakeholders towards providing technology that is accessible to all in this digital era.”
TM One LEAP Summit 2022 poised to advance next-gen enterprise transformation with world-class innovators
TM One’s annual flagship event LEAP Summit returns for a fifth year, anchoring on the theme ‘Enabling Your Next: Innovate and Transform’ TM One, the enterprise and government sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), held its high-impact annual flagship event, LEAP Summit 2022 today, aimed at propelling enterprise innovation and transformation as Malaysian businesses take advantage of the nation’s initial economic recovery. The fifth in its series, LEAP Summit 2022 themed ‘Enabling Your Next: Innovate & Transform’, brought together world-class digital experts and over 200 of Malaysia’s top decision makers to better understand how these leaders could unleash their innovation potential and take their businesses to the next level. Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM, in his welcoming address said that increased customer expectations for digital services and platforms are reshaping how enterprises work and conduct their business. He also explained that in order to keep up with these new trends, enterprises must fast-track their transformation to virtualised cloud-based services, leverage digital networks to modernise legacy processes, accelerate workflow efficiency, and strengthen cybersecurity. This will improve business offerings and overall customer experience, leading to increased growth and profitability. Kicking off LEAP Summit 2022 was Netflix’s Co-Founding Executive, Mitch Lowe, who emphasised the need for being brave in order to become a leader of the industry and to remain relevant. Having grown with the entertainment industry from video stores and DVD kiosks, to founding one of the most successful over the top (OTT) content services, Lowe shared that the habit of transformation is built by constantly looking to solve the problems faced by the customers and the industry. Building on this need for organisations to constantly evolve, the event then featured a panel session with Paul Nicholls, Telstra Purple’s Digital Transformation Practice Leader with Telstra’s global partners Airspeeder (the F1 for Electric Flying Vehicle) and Bata Global (world's largest shoe manufacturer), which was moderated by Ching-Fong (CF) Ong, Managing Director & Senior Partner from Boston Consulting Group; who deep dove into real examples of transformation, spanning multiple technologies and geographies, which centres around customers. Bringing the conversation closer to home, industry leaders Datuk Hj Bacho Pilong, Senior Vice President, Project Delivery & Technology, PETRONAS; Fabian Bigar, Chief Executive Officer, MyDIGITAL; Effendy Shahul Hamid, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Digital Assets; Ir. Dr. Lim Eu Shawn, Chief Global Solutions Officer, Aerodyne Group; also weighed in on transformation within the Malaysian context and its role in future-proofing businesses and the nation to progress from surviving to thriving. This discussion was moderated by Manoj Menon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of twimbit. Commenting about this year’s event, Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President of TM One said, “TM One’s LEAP Summit is part of our continuous commitment to enable organisations to prepare for their next advantage, today and tomorrow. With one of the common challenges faced by organisations being how to start or even expand their innovation and transformation journey, we connect them to world-class leaders to open up new ideas and possibilities that enterprises can put into motion.”TM One 5G Sphere Programme – enabling enterprises’ ‘Next’, now LEAP Summit 2022 also witnessed the inauguration of TM One’s 5G Sphere Programme, an alliance of Malaysia’s leading technology and smart solution partners to create an ecosystem to support the next phase of enterprise innovation and transformation, leveraging 5G. Harnessing 5G capabilities to power connected technologies to improve performance and customer experience, real-time detection, instant analysis and action for efficiency, as well as increased safety while reducing down-time through smart solutions, TM One’s 5G Sphere offers the opportunity for enterprises to springboard their transformation through actual case studies and proof of concepts that address their unique business challenges.TM One 5G Solutions for enterprises and the government sector TM One’s latest-in-class showcase during LEAP Summit 2022 also spotlighted 5G-enabled applications for Smart Healthcare, Smart Industry and Smart Cities, along with several digital solutions and services, demonstrating the latest end-to-end technologies available to enterprises and the public sector to spur on their digital growth. Shazurawati explained, “The next phase of smart innovative transformation will be 5G-driven opportunities, with capabilities such as video monitoring, logistics, fleet management, and private 5G networks powering manufacturing, transport, factories, and campuses already on the horizon.” “Moving forward, optimal 5G business solutions will arise from smart collaborations and coalitions among industry leaders, accelerating the next phase of technology adoption by both industry and the country as a whole, and enabling our aspirations for a Digital Malaysia,” she concluded.
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