Malaysia’s DiGi Telecommunications has announced that it has completed its nationwide network modernisation exercise, saying that in doing so it had achieved ‘a key milestone in its business transformation agenda that will enable [it] to deliver on its mission of Internet For All’. Detailing the upgrades, DiGi noted that it has equipped its nationwide network with HSPA+ technology, while its 3G/3.5G network now covers 76.1% of the population, up from 60% a year ago. Commenting on the development, DiGi’s chief executive officer Henrik Clausen was cited as saying: ‘With the final completion of our network modernisation nationwide, we believe our customers will now be able to fully enjoy a network that delivers greater stability and quality, over a larger footprint.’
With the company also reporting its third-quarter financials, in the three months ended 30 September 2013 DiGi said it had recorded steady growth across revenue, EBITDA and profit after tax (PAT). In the quarter under review DiGi generated a total turnover of MYR1.700 billion (USD523.6 million), representing a 7.4% year-on-year increase, with growth said to have been drive by stronger pre-paid service revenue which resulted from an enlarged customer base. EBITDA in 3Q13 stood at MYR766 million, up 7.1% against the corresponding period of 2012, while PAT totalled MYR449 million, having surged 42.5% y-o-y. In operational terms, meanwhile, DiGi reported a total of 10.827 million mobile subscribers at the end of September 2013, up from 10.304 million a year earlier.
Mr Clausen said of the results: ‘On the back of significant improvements in network quality and 3G footprint, growth for the quarter was strongly buoyed by our focus on driving adoption and usage of mobile internet through affordable smart plans and device bundles. Initiatives introduced during the quarter such as entry-level smartphones and bundles, targeted bite-sized plans, and new roaming packages bundled with value rewards and internet have been gaining traction with subscribers. These initiatives further encouraged internet usage and have resulted in improved smartphone adoption to 34.0% of our total customer base’.