KUALA LUMPUR (March 22): Axiata Group Bhd's 63%-owned subsidiary edotco Group Sdn Bhd has signed agreements with three of Pakistan’s major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to boost the country's connectivity capabilities via shared telecommunication towers, and more efficient operations and energy management.

In a statement today, edotco said the agreements were signed with Jazz, Telenor and Zong 4G amidst increased bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Pakistan.

The telecommunications sector was a key area discussed by both Governments, and the signing ceremony today was witnessed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan.

edotco chairman Datuk Azzat Kamaludin said the agreements reinforce the commitment of Malaysia and the company to continued investments in building Pakistan's digital future through connectivity infrastructure development.

"edotco would like to lead the way of future investments by investing not only in developing the telecommunication infrastructure landscape but also in developing the skills and expertise of the people here who are a part of our local operations," he said.  

Meanwhile, edotco chief executive officer Suresh Sidhu said the infrastructure sharing model that the company is working on, is a proven proposition to accelerate MNO deployment initiatives.

As infrastructure sharing will result in asset light MNOs, he said this will free up substantial capital investment and resources which can then be channelled towards their core business, thus extending their network coverage and improving service offerings for customers.

“All parties need to focus on meeting increasing data usage growth especially as users transition from 3G to 4G and beyond. MNO partners are set to benefit from edotco’s advanced solutions and world-class practises as we are well positioned to gear up telecommunication landscapes with increasingly complex connectivity demands through our deployment of highly scalable next-generation structural solutions," he added.

Edotco said it has invested over US$110 million last year to expand its operations in Pakistan. The investments announced today represent a part of the US$250 million the company intends to invest over the next five years.