01 Jun 2022
TM R&D’s Customer-focused innovations recognised at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards
In-house smart solutions for Fixed Wireless Access connectivity and customer experience platform for frontliners awarded under “Connectivity-Telecommunications” and “AI-IT Services” categories respectively
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently bagged two awards at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022, organised by the Singapore Business Review.
The Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards spotlights exceptional companies who are technology disruptors that boosts Malaysia’s economy. TM’s Fast Internet for All (FIRA) solution was bestowed the award under the “Connectivity-Telecommunications” category, while TM’s Single Platform on Intelligent Customer Experience (SPICE.ai) won the award in the “Artificial Intelligence (AI)-IT Services” category.
Commenting on these awards, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, “I couldn’t be prouder of my team as these awards reflect their commitment to meet the fast-evolving digital needs of today’s customers and strengthen our position as a research leader in these fields. This recognition also reaffirms our efforts in building smarter digital ecosystems to facilitate the ease with which Malaysians can embrace a more digital lifestyle, while also bringing progress to the nation.”
FIRA was introduced as a way to support the government in providing Malaysians with quality access to digital connectivity nationwide. Aimed at offering better internet service to underserved communities, FIRA uses Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technologies to improve connectivity in rural areas across Malaysia. Since its first deployment in Malacca back in July 2020, the solution has demonstrated promising success in improving download and upload link speeds compared to other broadband services. The solution has since been implemented at a rural school in Selangor and at Pusat Komuniti Desa sites under the Ministry of Rural Development. It has also supported an IR4.0 use case in Terengganu.
“FIRA is formulated to address two common issues: coverage and speed. The solution is capable to deliver connectivity up to 50Mbps within 5-8km range, compared to a traditional 4G cell within 1km range. Furthermore, with its quick deployment procedures, FIRA can help mitigate customers’ connectivity concerns in a cost-effective and timely manner,” shared Dr. Sharlene.
SPICE.ai, on the other hand, aims to assist frontliners in their daily task of addressing customer service enquiries and requests.
Dr Sharlene explained, “SPICE.ai consists of multiple components that cover different parts of an existing customer experience system. By integrating these components, frontliners gain a more holistic view of each customers’ profiles. The solution then implements real-time analytics to improve customer experience, giving frontliners the right information at the right time which allows them to deliver a better experience to customers.”
This analytics system has been deployed nationwide for nearly two years and becomes the primary touchpoint for more than 5,000 TM frontliners in most customer interactions across multiple channels. The performance of SPICE.ai has proven to be reliable and seamless even when integrated with more than 20 existing, standalone systems and was still able to relay the processed information through one single platform, on top of providing analytics and advisory.
Established in 2001, TM R&D is the innovation arm of TM Group focusing on creating smarter ecosystems to make business and life easier for a better Malaysia. TM R&D’s solutions are clustered around four pillars namely Intelligent Platforms, Data Brokerage, Connectivity/Tools and IR4.0/Digital Solutions. Growing from strength to strength, TM R&D has won multiple global awards and generated more than 2,800 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and 1,400 digital assets to date. TM R&D’s innovations are developed in-house and cut across multiple industries such as Utilities, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Education, with safety and productivity as its top priority.
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TM’s response to the national crisis and assurance to customers, communities and businesses affected
As a result of the extreme and continuous heavy rainfall since Friday (17 December 2021), some telecommunication services provided by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) have been impacted. A number of telecommunication equipment particularly in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang were damaged resulting in service disruption in several areas. At the time of reporting, TM’s National Crisis Command Centre is up and running, and we are closely monitoring our network sites. The flash floods and landslides have caused several of our nodes in the three (3) states to be inaccessible due to high water and unsafe conditions. In the meantime, we have had to shut down power supply and network equipment in some areas as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of those in the vicinity and minimise any potential risks. We have mobilised our front-liners and as conditions permit, we are actively pursuing network restoration in the flood-stricken zones to minimise any service interruption, ensuring customers remain connected. Our immediate concern is of 50,000 of our valued customers on unifi, streamyx, fixed line and unifi mobile who are affected, and we are working hard to ensure communication services are being safely re-established. Concurrently, the GLC/GLIC Disaster Recovery Network (GDRN) has been activated to provide welfare aid and support to those affected by this disaster. As a start, a total of RM50 million has been allocated for relief initiatives comprising of a matching grant of RM25 million by the Government, while the GLCs/GLICs will jointly contribute another RM25 million. As part of GDRN, which TM co-leads as the Secretariat together with Yayasan Hasanah from Khazanah Nasional Berhad, we are collaborating with the National Security Council (NSC) through NADMA (“Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara”) and other agencies to assist in furthering other disaster relief assistance. Together with the members of GDRN, we will mobilise rescue and aid efforts to ensure that basic necessities and healthcare can be provided to those in need. The 56th Royal Signals Telekom Army Reserve Regiment (56 Rejimen Semboyan Pakar Telekom Askar Wataniah) which comprises of volunteers from TM has been deployed on the ground to provide assistance and emergency services involving internet and telephone lines nationwide. “Though the situation remains uncertain, I am grateful for the quick action especially on the part of the TM engineering and customer care team for keeping our customers updated and working towards restoring the much-needed connectivity services. As we brace ourselves in anticipation of worsening conditions, we remain hopeful that Malaysians in need will receive the help they require. Our front-liners will be on the ground around the clock to restore services and bring the impacted States back on its feet,” said Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM.
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."
TM once again soars high at NACRA 2019!
The Company was recognised as among the best at the annual Corporate Report awards ceremony Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) has been accorded the Best Annual Report (Silver) at the recent National Annual Corporate Report Awards (NACRA) 2019. The Company was once again recognised as a leading corporate institution in Malaysia when its 2018 annual report bagged four (4) excellence in major categories. The awards were: Overall Excellence Awards for Most Outstanding Annual Report of the Year (Silver) Best Annual Report in Bahasa Malaysia (Gold) Best Sustainability Reporting Award (Silver) Industry Excellence Award for Main Board Company in Telecommunications & Media category – 23 consecutive years Commenting on the win, Dato' Noor Kamarul Anuar Nuruddin, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM, said, "We are indeed very excited and honoured to once again receive multiple awards at NACRA 2019. These recognitions not only reflect our good compliance to Bursa Malaysia's stringent listing requirements, but more importantly, the award attests to the high standards we place on shareholders' communication. It also demonstrates our commitment towards upholding a high level of corporate governance, transparency, disclosure of information to our stakeholders as well as integrated corporate reporting. This is in line with our tenet on the importance to achieve the highest levels of corporate governance, in order to build trust and credibility with our key stakeholders." "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every Warga TM for their hard work and tireless effort towards producing the 2018 Annual Report. I am personally proud with the achievement and hope that this will give a boost for all of us to deliver better. This win at NACRA also definitely further strengthen our position as one of the country's leading corporate institutions," added Dato' Noor Kamarul. NACRA is jointly organised by Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia Institute of Accountants (MIA), and The Malaysia Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA). The key objective of NACRA is to promote excellence in corporate reporting, greater transparency and accountability by respective parties in their financial reporting and the awards are to acknowledge and recognise high quality corporate reporting.
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