Axiata Explained

Axiata Group Berhad
Former Name:TM International Berhad
Type:Public
Isin:MYL6888OO001
Areas Served:Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Cambodia
Industry:Telecommunications
Products:Mobile network, network infrastructure, digital internet
Revenue: RM24.203 billion (2020)[1]
Operating Income: RM1.171 billion (2020)
Net Income: RM624.045 million (2020)
Assets: RM67.961 billion (2020)
Equity: RM23.879 billion (2020)
Num Employees:>25,000 (groupwide)
Owners:
Divisions:Axiata Digital Labs
Subsid:
Location:Axiata Tower, 9 Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Axiata Group Berhad (commonly known as Axiata, formerly known as TM International Berhad), is a Malaysian multinational telecommunications conglomerate with extensive operations in Asia.

The group

Axiata's primary business is investment holding and provisioning of telecommunication and consultancy services on an international scale. It mainly focuses on emerging markets in ASEAN and South Asia.[2]

Formerly known as TM International Bhd (TMI), the company was incorporated on 12 June 1992 and was the mobile and international operations arm of Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).[3] Following the de-merger of TMI from TM, the company was listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in 2008. On 2 April 2009, TMI underwent a rebranding exercise, launching its new name, Axiata, and a new logo.[4]

Its new tagline, Advancing Asia, was also launched, reflecting the company's focus on expansion within Asia.

Axiata controls interests in mobile operators across Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia.[5] The Group also has stakes in non-mobile telecommunication operations in Thailand and Pakistan.[6]

Their Board of Directors includes:

Subsidiary holdings

On their website in 2019, it was announced that Axiata had approximately 150 million subscribers across Asia and Group revenue of MYR25.3 billion (US$5.77 billion) in 2018.[8] It was also reported that the company employed 12,000 people throughout eleven countries.

Axiata's mobile subsidiaries and associates operate under the brand name 'Celcom' in Malaysia, 'XL' in Indonesia, 'Dialog' in Sri Lanka, 'Robi' in Bangladesh, and 'Smart' in Cambodia. The company formerly operated under the brand name 'Ncell' in Nepal (acquisition from TeliaSonera completed on 12 April 2016[9]), 'M1' in Singapore, and 'Idea' in India.

CountryBrandOwnership
Robi Axiata Limited61.82%
Smart Axiata Co., Ltd72.48%
PT XL Axiata Tbk66.60%
CelcomDigi Berhad33.1%
Dialog Axiata PLC73.75%
On 4 January 2018, Bloomberg reported that Axiata was planning a domestic IPO of its tower subsidiary edotco.[10] The IPO was expected to raise as much as $500 million.

On 15 February 2019, Axiata sold off its entire shares in 'M1' to Konnectivity Pte Ltd for RM1.65 billion, citing the need for capital reallocation and new priorities in line with its vision to be the Next Generation Digital Champion by 2022.[11]

On 21 June 2021, Axiata, Telenor and Digi agreed to a potential merger of Celcom and Digi to create a stronger telco in Malaysia, coming after advanced discussions that took place two months earlier. The merger was expected to be completed by the end of 2022.[12] [13] [14] The deal was approved by both Celcom and Digi shareholders on 18 November 2022. The merged company would be named CelcomDigi. At completion, Axiata and Telenor would hold equal ownership of 33.1% each in the newly merged company. The merger completed on 30 November 2022, and the new company began operations the next day.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

On December 1, 2023, the United Kingdom-based Spectrlite UK Limited acquired 100 percent ownership of Reynolds Holdings Limited from Axiata UK of Axiata Group Berhad. Reynolds owns an 80 percent equity stake in Ncell.[21]

Competitors

Axiata Group meets main competitors across the Indonesian market (Telkomsel). In 2019, Axiata held second place in Indonesia.[22] In Bangladesh, Axiata (Robi) also held second place, and the main competitor was Telenor (Grameenphone).

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Axiata Group Berhad 2020 Annual Report. Axiata . 15 July 2021. 31 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715121818/https://www.axiata.com/investors/2020/pdf/Axiata-IAR2020.pdf. 15 July 2021. live.
  2. News: Axiata moves to centralise its treasury. . 22 June 2010 . 28 June 2010.
  3. News: TM International to list on 28 April. . 12 April 2008 . 28 June 2010.
  4. News: TMI unveils new name but limits itself to Asia . . 3 April 2009 . 28 June 2010.
  5. Web site: Axiata Group – One of Asia's largest telecommunications groups. Axiata. axiata.com. en. 2017-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118222934/https://axiata.com/mroom/news-article/132/. 18 January 2017. dead.
  6. News: Axiata Delivers Another Strong Performance into 2010 with 1Q PATAMI of RM921 million . Corporate Communications, Group Strategy, Axiata Group Berhad . 27 May 2010 . 28 June 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110812025552/http://axiata.listedcompany.com/newsroom/AXIATA270510a.pdf . 12 August 2011 . live .
  7. Web site: Meet The Team - Board of Directors . Axiata . 18 February 2021.
  8. Web site: Axiata Group – One of Asia's largest telecommunications groups. Axiata. axiata.com. en. 2017-01-18. 22 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190322085443/https://axiata.com/mroom/news-article/143/. dead.
  9. Web site: TeliaSonera quits nepal, Ncell sold to Malaysian Telco group Axiata for 1.03Bil USD • TechSansar.com. TechSansar.com. TechSansar. 2015-12-21. en-US.
  10. News: Wireless carrier Axiata's unit may seek KL listing. 2018-01-05. The Straits Times. 2018-01-06.
  11. Web site: Axiata disposed its unit, M1 Ltd for RM1.65 bil | New Straits Times. 15 February 2019.
  12. Web site: Axiata, Telenor and Digi Sign Transaction Agreements for the Proposed Merger of Celcom and Digi . Axiata . 21 June 2021 . 21 June 2021.
  13. Web site: Axiata and Telenor in Advanced Discussions to Merge Celcom and Digi . Axiata . 21 June 2021 . 8 April 2021.
  14. Web site: Axiata, Telenor, Digi sign agreements to merge Malaysian mobile ops . The Star . 21 June 2021 . 21 June 2021.
  15. Web site: Axiata shareholders approve proposed Celcom-Digi merger. The Star.
  16. Web site: Digi gets shareholders' green light for proposed merger with Celcom. The Star.
  17. Web site: Axiata, Telenor complete Celcom-Digi merger | New Straits Times. 1 December 2022. NST Online.
  18. Web site: Axiata, Telenor announce completion of Celcom-Digi merger. The Edge Malaysia.
  19. Web site: Axiata and Telenor Announce the Successful Completion of the Celcom and Digi Merger. 30 November 2022. Yahoo Finance.
  20. Web site: Historic merger marks new chapter in Malaysia's digitalisation journey - Telenor Group. www.telenor.com.
  21. Web site: Spectrlite UK Buys Axiata's Ncell Shares for $50 Million. 1 December 2023.
  22. Web site: Empat Tahun Menahkodai XL, Apa Yang Sudah Ditorehkan Dian Siswarini?. Uday. Rayana. 15 April 2019.