KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 17): Integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, edotco Group Sdn Bhd (edotco), is pursuing large- scale acquisition opportunities in Pakistan.

In a statement today, edotco said with Pakistan’s mobile SIM penetration rate at 73 per cent and the strong performance of 3G and 4G services, the country’s digital growth has been exponential.

“edotco Pakistan has a long-term service agreement with all major operators with a broad portfolio of infrastructure offerings including operations and maintenance services and energy management solutions.

“Pakistan is a key market for us and we hope to continue introducing innovative infrastructure solutions to further advance Pakistan’s telecommunications sector,” said Group Chairman Datuk Azzat Kamaludin.

He said recent indicators by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority revealed that out of 152 million cellular subscribers in the country, 60 million were using either 3G or 4G services and 62 million were broadband subscribers.

“To support these growing mobile penetration rates, edotco is committed to advancing connectivity in the country by helping to reduce barriers to Internet access through improved network coverage and capacity. Our focus is on growing our operations there, both organically and inorganically,” Azzat added.

To date, edotco Group's business in Pakistan comprises approximately 700 fully operational towers nationwide, with a workforce of 130 telecom professionals.

The company had invested over US$110 million (US$1=RM4.18) in growing their operations in Pakistan through 2018 and already have further investment plans for 2019.     

edotco currently owns and manages over 28,500 towers across Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Myanmar.