Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 9): Maxis Bhd chief executive officer (CEO) Gokhan Ogut said that the telecommunications group is still in the midst of talking with the government to determine the roll-out of its 5G network to consumers.

Ogut was fielding questions from the press at Maxis’ "Rangkaian Kita, Rangkaian Malaysia" (RKRM) brand campaign on Wednesday (Feb 9).

“5G for us is another new technology which has been coming in the past 25 years like the other [technologies]. It will definitely be part of our 'Rangkaian Menyeluruh' campaign, but it will just be a part that complements the whole comprehensive network [strategy].

“We are looking forward to 5G. We have been working with our regulators and the Ministry [of Communications and Multimedia]. I cannot tell you a time right now because the discussions are still ongoing.

“What I can tell you is though we are ready to launch 5G anytime that our regulators and ministry decide that it is the right time,” Ogut said.

Meanwhile, he added that Maxis will release its financial results for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 (4QFY21) in two weeks time on Feb 23.

RKRM campaign reaffirms Maxis’ commitment

Separately in a statement, the company said the RKRM campaign reaffirms its commitment “to empowering all Malaysians and businesses in the country to be connected in every possible way at all times”. 

It added that the campaign is driven by Maxis’ evolution from a mobile telecommunications network provider to a connectivity and digital solution expert that offers solutions for every customer segment — backed by its industry-leading 4G network, fibre coverage and 5G innovation.

Maxis also said it had invested RM27 billion in capital expenditure over the last 26 years in its network, with over 10,000 mobile base stations currently providing more than 93% 4G network coverage across the nation.

According to the group, 30% of its 4G network saw upgrades in 2021, in line with the ongoing National Digital Network (JENDELA) initiative, while more than 1,100 of the base stations are connected via satellite-based very small aperture terminal connectivity.

Meanwhile, its fibre coverage has reached more than 21,000km and 5.5 million premises, which helped Maxis push its mobile post-paid and fibre broadband bundles over the past few years.

As a result, the company saw a 30% increase year-on-year to 4.8 million converged subscribers in 2021 on both its mobile and fibre networks.

The telecommunications group also expanded its service offerings to include a slew of digital solutions for enterprises while being involved in community efforts to improve digital adoption and connectivity for entrepreneurs, youths and students.

Maxis highlighted that it wants to provide the most reliable Internet experience on the go with the most reliable indoor network that offers zero downtime and zero blind spots, as well as promises to offer a world-class enterprise-grade network for businesses.

At the noon break on Wednesday, Maxis shares were trading six sen or 1.41% higher at RM4.32, giving it a market capitalisation of RM33.8 billion based on 7.83 billion outstanding shares.

Based on that share price, the telecommunications group’s dividend yield stood at 3.94%, with its dividends for FY21 so far totalling 12 sen, while it is trading at 25.27 times earnings.

Edited BySurin Murugiah
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