Just like how the cellular telecommunications industry is changing, Axiata Group Bhd , the regional telecoms company, is looking at a three-pronged approach towards driving its business.
The stagnating cellular business has much to do with the new areas Axiata is veering in order to bring back growth.
The days of double-digit growth for a saturated industry is now long gone and the group, according to its president/CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, is looking at a “mid single-digit growth’’ over the next three-five years for its sprawling cellular empire that is spread across South and South-East Asia.
Axiata is paying more attention to the fibre-to-home business though it is seen to be a latecomer in this area. The hurdles are there but it is left with no choice given the stagnating cellular environment. A fixed-mobile-wireless convergence space gives it plenty room to manoeuvre in the eleven markets.
“In many cases wireless can do the job, and some cases we need fibre, but fibre is the ultimate. In Malaysia, we may be late in the game but not in many other areas,’’ says Jamaludin in an interview with StarBizWeek.
Combined with its over 30,000 towers by end-June, Axiata plans to roll out fibre optics to areas where it sees demand. Besides that, a collaboration with Telekom Malaysia Bhd is being hammered out to give it access to the latter’s high speed broadband network.
https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2018/04/21/threepronged-approach-for-axiata/