26 Aug 2024
TM Sustains EBIT Growth in 1H 2024, Declares Higher Interim Dividend of 12.5 sen per Share
1H 2024 Key Highlights (vs 1H 2023)
· Operating revenue remained steady at RM5.74 billion
· EBIT increased by 14.5% to RM1.26 billion
· Fixed broadband subscribers grew by 1.2% to 3.143 million
· Interim Dividend declared at 12.5 sen per share, up from 9.5 sen in the previous year
KUALA LUMPUR, 26 August 2024 – Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM” or “the Group”) today announced its financial results for the first half ended 30 June 2024 (1H 2024), remaining resilient amidst a challenging market environment.
The Group recorded a 14.5% growth in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), reaching RM1.26 billion compared to RM1.10 billion in the same period last year, driven by continued focus on enhancing operational efficiency and effective cost management. Meanwhile, TM’s operating revenue for 1H 2024 remained steady at RM5.74 billion, reflecting consistent performance.
Profit after Tax and Non-Controlling Interests (PATAMI) in 1H 2024 decreased by 8.6% to RM821.2 million due to a one-off tax credit in 2023. Nevertheless, the Group’s fundamentals remained strong and continued to underpin its growth trajectory. In line with this, TM has declared a higher interim dividend of 12.5 sen per share, amounting to RM479.7 million, an increase from 9.5 sen per share interim dividend declared in the previous year.
Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “Our latest Unifi UniVerse continues to excite the market. Its comprehensive suite of convergence offerings provides a seamless experience that meets the diverse needs of digital consumers. As a result, we have seen growth in our customer base, strengthening TM’s position as Malaysia’s true convergence champion.
“We are also advancing Malaysia’s digital infrastructure through the development of the Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999) in collaboration with various Government agencies. Leveraging advanced technologies such as data analytics and AI, this initiative will significantly improve the nation’s emergency response capabilities in replacement of the existing MERS999.
“We proactively explore new business opportunities through strategic partnerships such as the recent collaboration with Singtel’s Nxera to build a sustainable, hyperconnected AI-ready mega data centre in Johor. This initiative will support high-performance computing and future cloud and AI applications for hyperscalers and tech providers. Simultaneously, we remain committed to supporting Malaysia’s 5G ecosystem, ensuring that Malaysians benefit from the latest advancements in connectivity and digital services.
“We are focused on strengthening our core fundamentals, managing costs effectively, and seizing growth opportunities to ensure we stay well-positioned for the future. We remain steadfast in driving our aspiration to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030, while positioning Malaysia as the digital hub for the region,” said Amar.
Capital expenditure (CAPEX) in 1H 2024 amounted to RM460 million, representing 8.0% of total revenue. The Group plans to ramp up this investment towards the end of the year, focusing on enhancing its network infrastructure both nationwide and regionally. This includes the development of new submarine cable systems and the expansion of data centres.
The Group maintains a positive outlook for the current year, aligning with its 2024 market guidance.
Lines of Businesses (LOBs) Performance
Unifi Maintains Leadership in Converged Services
Unifi recorded a 1.2% increase in fixed broadband subscribers, reaching 3.143 million in 1H 2024, supported by customer acquisition and retention strategies. Unifi also gained positive traction with its latest mobile proposition and will continue improving and adapting its mobile offerings to better meet customer needs.
During the period, Unifi launched UniVerse, a suite of its best convergence offerings for home internet, mobile, entertainment and lifestyle solutions and introduced the newest UNI5G WOW Prepaid offering with unlimited 5G + 4G data with uncapped 5G speed and rewards, catering to needs of today’s digital customers. Unifi’s most recent offer is the limited-time promotion of 200GB 5G Monthly Data Pass for just RM1. This fantastic add-on gives UNI5G Postpaid 39 customers an extra 200GB of high-speed 5G data every month, enhancing their mobile experience significantly. For more information, visit https://unifi.com.my and https://unifi.com.my/mobile/postpaid.
Unifi’s excellence was recognised with several awards including the Best Fixed Business Service Provider and Best Home Broadband Service Provider at the recent PC.com 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards, Ookla's Fastest Wi-Fi Provider in Malaysia award, and the World’s No.1 Fastest 5G Download Speed provider from Open Signal.
TM One Drives Digital Transformation for Enterprises and Government
TM One sustained a positive momentum in 1H 2024, achieving a 2.1% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year, reaching RM1.41 billion amidst a challenging business environment.
During the period, TM One launched the Innovation Lab and Enterprise 5G Lab, collaborative spaces designed to accelerate the realisation of emerging digital services and solutions such as Enterprise 5G and AI-powered industry solutions for both enterprises and government sectors. Additionally, TM One introduced Cybershield Simulation, a cybersecurity product that simulates real-life cyber-attack scenarios, helping organisations enhance their cybersecurity preparedness. On top the NG999 initiative, it has also recently successfully deployed a Private 5G network at PETRONAS LNG Complex in Bintulu, Sarawak in collaboration with the national oil and gas company, – signalling further advancements in connectivity and efficiency for the energy industry.
TM One’s leadership in technology solutions was recognised with the Best Technology Solution Service Provider at the recent PC.com 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.
TM Global Strengthens Malaysia’s Position as a Digital Hub for the Region
TM Global delivered a steady performance in 1H 2024, with a 0.6% revenue increase to RM1.49 billion, driven by higher revenues from managed wavelength and domestic data. TM Global is expanding its digital infrastructure, including international connectivity and data centre services, to meet the global carriers and hyperscalers’ demands. Key initiatives include the development of a mega data centre in Johor in partnership with Singtel’s Nxera, as well as expansion of its existing Klang Valley Data Centre (KVDC) and Iskandar Puteri Data Centre (IPDC).
It has also made progress in deploying extensive 4G and 5G backhaul sites nationwide and increasing high-speed broadband access in Malaysia, in supporting digital inclusivity across the nation.
TM Global was recognised in multiple awards - Telecom Company of the Year – Malaysia, and the Wholesale Company Initiative of the Year – Malaysia, at the Asian Telecom Awards as well as Best Operator in Emerging Market Category at the Carrier Community Global Awards 2024.
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Credence, TM’s new cloud and digital services company, to empower enterprises’ digital capabilities – from infrastructure to insights
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Yayasan TM, Teach For Malaysia and Enuma, inc. Bring “Sekolah Enuma” digital learning application to young students in malaysia
Offline learning tool a critical resource for parents and teachers in supporting the children especially those from underserved communities with limited access to the internet, computer devices and appropriate learning materials The pandemic and the ensuing movement restrictions have been very disruptive to students, in particular those forced to rely on online lessons but face limited access to the necessary tools and connectivity. To help address these learning challenges faced by over a million Malaysian students aged five (5) to eight (8), Yayasan TM (YTM), the foundation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), is collaborating with Teach For Malaysia, a not-for-profit advocate for education and Enuma, Inc., a global company focused on digital learning programmes, to bring the Enuma School digital learning application to Malaysia. In this collaboration, YTM is sponsoring the field test of the localised version of the app, which will be known as Sekolah Enuma Malaysia, to 600 students in various communities in Sarawak, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur. Enuma School has been commercially successful in the B2C markets in the US, Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia. Its exceptional Kitkit School programme, winner of the prestigious USD15 million Global Learning XPRIZE (2019), has been used in over 50 countries through schools serving children in under-resourced environments. All its learning activities are carefully and meticulously mapped to specific learning objectives and support individualised learning paths depending on the current level of each student, so students can learn by themselves. This platform will greatly complement the current home-based teaching and learning (PdPR). Sekolah Enuma Malaysia was officially launched in a ceremony by Mohd Najib Ab Rahman, Director of Jabatan Pendidikan Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur together with Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM; and Sooinn Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Enuma, Inc. This virtual session was also joined by Chan Soon Seng, Chief Executive Officer of Teach For Malaysia. Commenting on this project, Izlyn Ramli said, "This collaboration is a natural extension of YTM's existing strong support for the education ecosystem especially in promoting digital learning among pre- and primary school students. It is also aligned with Telekom Malaysia Berhad's (TM) aspiration to enable Digital Malaysia while supporting the government's agenda in digital education transformation. This offline, game-based digital application will encourage and ease the learning of Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mathematics in a fun and interactive learning process". The Sekolah Enuma field test began on 28 March 2022, involving 600 students, the majority of whom comes from the B40 communities particularly in Kuala Lumpur, indigenous communities in Sarawak and stateless communities in Sabah. Meanwhile, Chan Soon Seng said that Teach For Malaysia is thrilled to work with YTM and Enuma to address the learning challenges faced by students, including those from underserved communities with limited access to internet, devices and appropriate learning materials. "We hope Sekolah Enuma will significantly help to close the equity gap in learning across all segments of society and increase each student's learning outcomes to meet the Ministry of Education's (MOE) goal for full basic literacy and numeracy by standard three," he added. Learning with the Sekolah Enuma app will facilitate and individualise the learning path for each student through in-app placement tests and check-in quizzes, so students learn at a level and pace that is just right for them. They learn through playing child-friendly games developed by seasoned designers which make learning fun, engaging, and self-directed. The app enables each student to learn independently and be the driver of their own learning journey. The standardised content, developed by global and local education experts, is aligned with the MOE curriculum. Accompanying the app is a web-based Learning Management System (LMS) that allows teachers and administrators to manage and track the performance and progress of the students using the app. "Our app contains thousands of learning activities, dozens of games, hundreds of child-friendly e-books and videos. Many are tailor-made based on Malaysian culture and values. It works on Android tablets and smartphones and does not require an internet connection once the app is downloaded," explained Enuma's Sooinn Lee. "Sekolah Enuma is particularly suitable to be used in remote locations and communities where there is a shortage of trained teachers as well as limited internet connectivity." Corporate partners and foundations keen to support the second phase of Sekolah Enuma, which is expected to be launched in Q4 2022, are encouraged to contact Yayasan TM, Teach For Malaysia, or Enuma, Inc. Schools and communities interested in participating in this next phase are also encouraged to do the same. For more information on Sekolah Enuma, please visit www.sekolahenuma.com
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