KUALA LUMPUR, 25 August 2023 – Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM” or “the Group”) recorded a stronger financial performance in the second quarter of the year that ended 30 June 2023, compared to the same period in the previous year.
Its operating revenue grew 0.3% to RM3.10 billion, propelled by Unifi’s expansion which saw a substantial increase to 3.11 million fixed broadband subscribers. The growth was also due to TM Global’s solid 10.0% revenue growth driven by higher demand for domestic and international data services.
Profit After Tax and Non-Controlling Interest (PATAMI) rose 50.4% from RM378.0 million to RM568.7 million due to lower net finance cost and the recognition of tax credits from unutilised tax losses.
TM’s Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) allocation for the first half of 2023 stood at RM942.8 million, which accounts for 15.6% of the overall revenue for the expansion of network infrastructure to enhance nationwide coverage.
Meanwhile, Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) was lower by 10.3% at RM630.0 million from RM702.7 million, due to higher preventive maintenance costs to better serve our customers and higher depreciation from revision of asset useful life.
TM declared a higher Interim Dividend of 9.5 sen per share. This is a testament of the Group’s positive financial performance and its ongoing commitment to shareholder value.
Commenting on these results, Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer said, “We are pleased with this quarter’s performance, which is marked by overall positive results across our Lines of Business (“LOBs”). These achievements further strengthen TM’s growth momentum in facing a more competitive market.”
“In the coming months, TM expects to face a more challenging marketplace but remains confident in our overall positive financial performance. The Group remains steadfast to continue strengthening its core business to be commercially sustainable whilst also continuing to contribute to the nation’s growth.
“TM is excited by the huge potential of fixed, mobile and lifestyle convergence in the digital market, as well as digital infrastructure and solutions for MSME, enterprise and government sectors, whilst pursuing to capture opportunities from International partners including hyperscalers.
“We also remain committed to continuously invest in expanding our network to enable the nation’s progress towards a Digital Malaysia. TM will continue to collaborate closely with the Government to serve as the nation’s trusted partner to grow Malaysia’s overall connectivity and digital ecosystem, including 5G,” Amar concluded.
LINES OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Unifi drives growth with enhanced services and market leadership
Unifi’s revenue increased 0.5% to RM1.41 billion, driven by growth in fixed broadband subscribers reaching 3.11 million from consumer and Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (“MSME”) segments.
Reinforcing its market leadership in fibre broadband services, Unifi unveiled its Ultra Gigabit Broadband Plans with 1Gbps and 2Gbps packages designed to empower digital households and expedite the growth of MSMEs.
Unifi also strengthened its position by introducing innovative Uni5G postpaid and prepaid all-in-one 4G and 5G mobile plans, enhancing its fixed-mobile convergence value proposition.
Unifi’s lifestyle services arm, Unifi TV, continued its pursuit of enriching user experiences by integrating popular streaming apps such as Netflix into its diverse portfolio. This move bolsters Unifi TV’s value proposition and adds to the variety of content available to users.
The availability of a comprehensive convergence proposition encompassing gigabit fixed broadband, innovative 5G mobile packages and lifestyle services is the only offering of its kind in the industry. This is delivered over the best fibre network, superior 4G network coverage and expanding 5G nationwide footprint that offers elevated connectivity experiences at home and on-the-go.
As a market leader, Unifi Business launched its Digital Marketing Solution (“DMS”) to encourage the MSME segment develop stronger brand presence and online visibility. As the latest addition to its line-up of connectivity and business solutions, DMS complements and augments Unifi Business’ existing offerings and will propel digital adoption among businesses.
Earning further accolades, Unifi Business received the “Best Business Fixed Broadband Service Provider” award from PC.com during the period under review.
TM One Drives Innovation with Smart Solutions and Private 5G Advancements
TM One experience a decline in revenue by 11.4% to RM732.0 million in 2Q 2023 as a result of price reductions in connectivity services and lower one-off revenue from customer projects.
To mitigate this, TM One is driving the rapid development of smart innovative solutions for verticals such as smart cities, healthcare, agriculture and industries. As a trusted digital partner for large enterprises and government, TM One is also leading Private 5G propositions and solutions across diverse industries spanning across oil & gas, transportation hubs and manufacturing to drive the country’s advancement.
As the largest local cloud provider, TM Cloud Alpha remains the preferred local sovereign hyper-scaled cloud for data residency and locality in Malaysia.
It has also reinforced its role in shaping Malaysia’s modern urban landscapes by being the strategic partner for smart city low-carbon initiatives with local councils. Along with its growing local and global partnerships, it has been appointed to implement and support various digital transformation programmes for its customers.
In recognition of its industry excellence across a suite of end-to-end next generation business solutions, TM One received the accolade for "Best Enterprise Telco" from PC.com.
TM Global on track to make Malaysia the preferred digital hub for ASEAN
TM Global recorded a 10.0% solid revenue growth from RM739.9 million to RM813.6 million, contributed by higher demand for both domestic and international data services.
TM Global remains steadfast in solidifying its stature as Malaysia’s preferred network infrastructure provider, catalysing digital industry and 4G/5G ecosystem while simultaneously positioning the country to become a digital hub for ASEAN.
TM Global continues to deploy its 4G/5G fibre backhaul rollout and drive greater demand for High Speed Broadband Access (HSBA) ports, reinforcing its commitment to support the Government’s aspirations for digital inclusivity in the country.
Beyond borders, TM Global has reinforced its position by enriching the platform play services via strategic collaborations with partners on A2P SMS Gateway in Philippines and Content Delivery Network (CDN) Last Mile Delivery in Thailand.
Additionally, TM Global continued to cater to mega bandwidth requirements with dynamic and customised solutions for hyper-scalers as well as global service providers, cementing its significance on the international stage.
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Consolidation of TM’s business in Malaysia to strengthen fixed-mobile convergence leadership and improve operational efficiency
Telekom Malaysia Berhad ("TM" or "the Group") today announced an internal reorganisation which involves the transfer of its business in Malaysia to a single operating entity named TM Technology Services Sdn Bhd ("TM Tech"). The internal reorganisation is anticipated to complete by 31 December 2023. The reorganisation – which includes Unifi, TM One and TM Wholesale, among others – marks the next phase of the Group's transformation to be the enabler of a digital Malaysia, and to further improve its operational efficiencies, streamline processes and simplify customer touchpoints to provide a more seamless customer experience. Incorporating its diverse businesses under TM Tech will also reinforce TM's Fixed-Mobile Convergence leadership, offering integrated fixed broadband, mobile services, data services, digital content and innovative solutions to communities, businesses and the Government. Group CEO, Imri Mokhtar said, "As digital lifestyles, increasing competition and stakeholder expectations reshape the industry, consolidating these businesses into one operating entity will allow us to serve our diverse customer segments better and deliver their needs more quickly. "Consolidating our suite of connectivity and digital offerings will also enable us to easily tap into the right combination of solutions to meet the unique needs of individual lifestyles and businesses." "Furthermore, this reorganisation aligns us to industry best practices and will improve TM's competitive edge among Malaysian and international Telcos and digital players, as we continue to pursue our aspiration of becoming a leading human-centred TechCo," he added. Under TM Tech, consumers will continue to enjoy the fastest and widest all-in-one connectivity and digital content. Enterprises and the public sector will also benefit from TM's digital and smart solutions, including cloud and data centres, cybersecurity and smart industry offerings. The operating entity will also continue to champion TM's nation-building efforts in expanding and modernising the country's fibre network, data centres and submarine cable systems. TM Tech will be led by TM's existing senior management team and will bring together its diverse talents under a single company, encouraging greater agility and cross-functional collaboration to improve service quality. Imri explained, "Our Warga TM will remain the execution engine for TM and the country's digital transformation. While our workforce will be realigned to this single operating entity, employee functions, entitlements and benefits will remain unchanged." Similarly, all of TM's partnerships, vendor and service agreements will remain in effect. Telekom Malaysia Berhad will now serve as an investment holding company for this operating entity, with all other subsidiaries within the Group to remain status quo. "Beyond TM's own growth, this reorganisation strengthens our role in advancing the country's digital transformation and to serve our customers in a more cohesive manner. While it marks a new milestone in our continuous transformation, we remain anchored to our purpose of enabling digital inclusion, opportunities and progress for all," Imri concluded.
TM Cooperates with Authorities on Open Manhole Incident in Jalan Abdul Samad, Johor Bahru
TM is deeply concerned about an accident that occurred recently involving a school van and one of our underground manholes at Jalan Abdul Samad, Johor. We are staying updated on the condition of those affected and remain hopeful for their full and swift recovery. The manhole cover was found missing at the time of the incident, and preliminary investigations suggest it was deliberately removed by unauthorised individuals or parties. Our network team has immediately secured the area and closed the manhole to prevent further unauthorised access and ensure public safety. We are fully cooperating with the authorities on their ongoing investigations. Unauthorised access to TM’s infrastructure, such as manholes, poses safety risks and may disrupt essential services relied upon by the community. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity by calling 999 or visiting the nearest police station. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as information becomes available.
Tune Protect enters partnership with Huawei Malaysia and TM
FIRST TO HOST THE INSURANCE CORE SYSTEM ON TM’S PUBLIC CLOUD IN MALAYSIA Tune Protect Malaysia (Tune Protect), Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) announced a collaboration today for Tune Protect to re-platform its existing GIS (General Insurance System), an insurance core system on Cloud. The hosting of Tune Protect’s core insurance system on Cloud is the first for insurers in Malaysia as it progresses in its digital transformation. The core system comes with a set of SAP HANA and SAP applications that will be completely hosted in TM Cloud αEdge (pronounced as Cloud Alpha Edge) which provides multi-cloud deployment management platform, scalability reliance and trust . This pivotal move is part of Tune Protect’s Cloud First strategy , and in line with current market demand. Works are currently underway for the core insurance system to be deployed in multiple phases commencing July 2022. Rohit Nambiar, Group Chief Executive Officer of Tune Protect said, “As the first insurer to have received the approval to host the core system on Cloud, we are further enhancing our group credentials. Cloud is the centrepiece of our digital transformation that will enable us to achieve speed-to-market and introduce more innovative products and services for our customers.” TM Cloud αEdge plays an important role as digital platform enabler through the offerings of comprehensive set of cloud services in Malaysia and will transform Tune Protect’s existing business capabilities and services into a highly scalable, and agile cloud native open standard and platform to unlock its existing capabilities into unlimited digital value. This transformation is crucial to support today’s fast-paced and demanding business operations and ensure the company consistently stays competitive in the market. Partnering with Huawei Malaysia and TM has brought Tune Protect to a whole new level of engagement experience. Aside to providing cloud and digital services, Huawei and TM have also demonstrated teamwork and commitment through the rendering of advisory and consultation in terms of compliance and technical requirements that align to the guidance provided by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). This will be the first core insurance system in Malaysia that has been officially approved by BNM and will be hosted on TM Cloud αEdge -- the only Malaysian-owned Hyperscaler Public Cloud, that primarily promotes data sovereignty. This marks a significant milestone for the company as TM’s Cloud αEdge meets the data protection standard and compliant to BNM’s Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) full guidance requirements checklist, making it the ONLY Public Cloud choice for financial service industry (FSI) customers’ cloud adoption in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM said, “We fully understand the importance for FSI customers, including insurers such as Tune Protect to have highly secured digital infrastructure while they continue accelerating their digital adoption. Given the rising volume of digital transactions and our commitment to excellent customer experience, we must ensure that the infrastructure supporting our partner is resilient, scalable and protected on all fronts. With TM Cloud α Edge being fully compliant to BNM’s RMiT, FSI players can reap the benefit of scalability and agility to future-proof their business, while simultaneously protecting customer data, at a superior price advantage. Through our enterprise and public sector business solutions arm, TM ONE, we are ready to serve the industry with end-to-end robust and secured digital infrastructure, befitting our role as the sole Malaysian Cloud Service Provider (CSP) under the MyDIGITAL initiative.” In conveying his appreciation and support for this collaboration, Huawei Malaysia’s Vice President of the Cloud and AI Business Group, Mr Lim Chee Siong said, “It is always our goal at Huawei Cloud to dive into digitalisation and to provide everything as a service. Huawei will continue to innovate and team up with TM and our partners to dive into digital and build the cloud foundation for an intelligent world. Cloud is just the beginning. We view it as a runway to transport businesses to even greater heights.” TM is the only local player with its own core Data Centre and Cloud infrastructure with full data residency, locality and sovereignty. Through the collaboration with Huawei Malaysia, this infrastructure is reinforced through Cloud, AI and the most advanced cybersecurity practices and technologies, putting it right on track to become the only Malaysian-owned end-to-end Cloud AI infrastructure service provider. This means the data in the Cloud is stored right here in Malaysia instead of abroad, providing a solution to the challenge of data sovereignty.