KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Celcom Axiata Bhd expects a positive performance for the rest of the year on the back of an ongoing transformation programme that has been in place for the past 18 months.
However, chief executive officer Idham Nawawi said the telecommunication (telco) giant was being a bit more cautious for the remaining quarters and would continue to navigate the impact from the extended movement control order and pandemic as it sees some minor challenges that may come in the second half of the year (H2 2021).
"We look forward to sustaining our positive performance in a perhaps more challenging environment in the second half, which includes strengthening our ongoing activities and to continue making an impact in all segments, especially for small and medium enterprises," he told reporters during a virtual media briefing on Celcom's second quarter (Q2 2021) results today.
Idham said Celcom's transformation and operational excellence focus, together with stringent cost management, have resulted in bottom line improvement, delivering visible growth momentum and positive results in H1 amid Covid-19 pandemic challenges.
In Q2, the telco recorded a commendable recovery momentum with revenue growth (excluding devices) of 3.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter to RM1.48 billion, driven by growth in subscriber base.
For H1, its revenue rose 4.6 per cent to RM2.91 billion.
The telco also saw year-on-year net additions of 1.2 million subscribers and double-digit prepaid revenue growth.
Celcom has been aggressive in addressing the rapid data traffic growth by accelerating its capital expenditure for network investments through multiple network enhancement initiatives that are aligned with Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela).
"To date, Celcom has completed almost 95 per cent of network upgrading works at approximately 9,500 sites, performed network optimisation at more than 3,600 sites, and delivered 4G coverage improvements at 3,200 sites nationwide,” Idham said. “The rapid growth of data traffic from our users indicates that our network is widely utilised as a primary internet access, especially in areas without fixed broadband alternatives, during this pandemic."
Idham said Celcom's accelerated network investments and optimisation efforts to improve customer experience in the New Normal are on track, with the cessation of 3G services by year-end.
“We will continue to work to raise the quality of our 4G network coverage and experience, as well as ensure our customers have a seamless transition from 3G to 4G. Our network teams remain dedicated to providing immediate service resolutions and improvements in high-risk areas, as well in rural areas,” he added. — Bernama
