April 15, 2010 14:34 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said it was monitoring three of the four wireless 4G Broadband Internet service (WiMAX) providers who have failed to achieve the 25 percent targetted market penetration.
Deputy Minister of Information Communication and Culture Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said from March 2008 to March 2009, the three companies had failed to achieve the target and can be fined.
"However, the fine will depend on their implementation process and consideration of MCMC. Right now, MCMC is considering their appeal," he told the Dewan Rakyat here Thursday when answering a question by Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun (DAP-Jelutong) who wanted to know the WiMAX penetration level and failure by companies to achieve the target.
He added that the government was ready to withdraw the licences of companies that failed to deliver the target, including Asiaspace Sdn Bhd.
"Although the target has not been met, all four companies have shown an improved performance since March 2009. Asiaspace had achieved 18 percent penetration level by Sept 30, last year," he said.
Meanwhile, to an additional question by Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam) who wanted to know the government's broadband initiative for Sabah and Sarawak, Joseph said the ministry through MCMC had issued licences to two companies but the target has not been met.
"As of Sept 30, there was only 14 coverage in Sabah and 24.83 percent in Sarawak. The ministry has also issued a licence to P1 which had shown an impressive performance in the peninsular. They (P1) will role out a plan for the two states soon," he said.
-- BERNAMA
http://bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=490699
Thursday, April 15, 2010
SK Telecom yet to decide on buying P1 stake
Thursday April 15, 2010
By Leong Hung Yee
hungyee@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: SK Telecom Co, South Korea’s largest mobile-phone operator, which has reportedly been approached by Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd (P1) to buy a stake in the latter, has yet to make any decision.
“Nothing has been decided,” Bloomberg quoted Irene Kim, a spokesman of SK Telecom, as saying.
According to a news report, SK Telecom was among a few foreign telecommunications companies interested in buying a stake in P1, a subsidiary of Green Packet Bhd.
The sale of a 20% stake in P1 could potentially raise about US$100mil, the report said.
Green Packet group managing director and chief executive officer CC Puan did not confirm nor deny the news. “It’s our company policy not to respond to any rumours and speculation,” he said when contacted yesterday.
While analysts believed the funds would enable P1 to accelerate its network rollout, they said P1’s newly acquired WiMAX licence in Singapore and east Malaysia would require even more investment.
P1’s next line-up will be the deployment of WiMAX in east Malaysia by the second half of this year. It will also extend its services to Singapore, marking its transformation into a regional 4G WiMAX player.
A bank-backed analyst said WiMAX was a big thing in South Korea and Malaysia had the potential in growing WiMAX services given the low penetration rate here. “It makes sense for SK Telecom to buy into P1 but the backing from South Korea doesn’t mean they (P1) can be a winner,” he said. He cited the example of U Mobile Sdn Bhd, which despite the backing of NTT DoCoMo of Japan and KT Freetal of South Korea, did not really take off in the market
“We’ll have to wait and see if the (SK Telecom-P1) partnership will work out,” he said, adding that he was unaware of other suitors for the stake in P1.
Another analyst said SK Telecom may see P1 as a good avenue to expand into the growing broadband market in Asia.
“For SK Telecom, the real appeal in investing in P1 will be gaining a firm strategic partnership with Green Packet, which develops, manufactures and markets a range of low-cost WiMAX modems and related equipment,” he said.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/15/business/6056877&sec=business
By Leong Hung Yee
hungyee@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: SK Telecom Co, South Korea’s largest mobile-phone operator, which has reportedly been approached by Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd (P1) to buy a stake in the latter, has yet to make any decision.
“Nothing has been decided,” Bloomberg quoted Irene Kim, a spokesman of SK Telecom, as saying.
According to a news report, SK Telecom was among a few foreign telecommunications companies interested in buying a stake in P1, a subsidiary of Green Packet Bhd.
The sale of a 20% stake in P1 could potentially raise about US$100mil, the report said.
Green Packet group managing director and chief executive officer CC Puan did not confirm nor deny the news. “It’s our company policy not to respond to any rumours and speculation,” he said when contacted yesterday.
While analysts believed the funds would enable P1 to accelerate its network rollout, they said P1’s newly acquired WiMAX licence in Singapore and east Malaysia would require even more investment.
P1’s next line-up will be the deployment of WiMAX in east Malaysia by the second half of this year. It will also extend its services to Singapore, marking its transformation into a regional 4G WiMAX player.
A bank-backed analyst said WiMAX was a big thing in South Korea and Malaysia had the potential in growing WiMAX services given the low penetration rate here. “It makes sense for SK Telecom to buy into P1 but the backing from South Korea doesn’t mean they (P1) can be a winner,” he said. He cited the example of U Mobile Sdn Bhd, which despite the backing of NTT DoCoMo of Japan and KT Freetal of South Korea, did not really take off in the market
“We’ll have to wait and see if the (SK Telecom-P1) partnership will work out,” he said, adding that he was unaware of other suitors for the stake in P1.
Another analyst said SK Telecom may see P1 as a good avenue to expand into the growing broadband market in Asia.
“For SK Telecom, the real appeal in investing in P1 will be gaining a firm strategic partnership with Green Packet, which develops, manufactures and markets a range of low-cost WiMAX modems and related equipment,” he said.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/15/business/6056877&sec=business
Due diligence on Pos Malaysia land
Thursday April 15, 2010
By B.K. SIDHU
Properties may be converted to unlock value
bksidhu@thestar.com.m
KUALA LUMPUR: Pos Malaysia Bhd is exploring ways to unlock the value of the land on which its post offices and other operations are located, including conversion of its use and ownership transfer to the postal company.
The 697 post offices, 32 mail-processing centres and over 300 delivery centres that Pos Malaysia operates in the country occupy over 250 acres of land, the bulk of which belongs to the Federal Land Commissioner.
“The charter says we can only operate postal services on these locations but we are thinking of a conversion and a change in ownership. The idea of conversion is to re-develop some of the parcels so that we can sell (them) and re-invest the funds in the company,” Pos Malaysia group managing director/CEO Datuk Syed Faisal Albar said.
As some of the land parcels are not deemed to be in strategic locations for postal operations, they could be leased out or hived off and even redeveloped.
“We will seek guidance on how to get around this land issue. We cannot at this juncture say exactly what the value of the landbank is as we need to conduct a due diligence for each property,” Syed Faisal told StarBiz in an interview.
He said globally, many of the postal companies, including those in Germany and Singapore, had rights to the land on which they operated and had in the past sold part of that land and redeveloped other portions for recurring income purposes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently announced as part of the New Economic Model that Khazanah Nasional Bhd would divest its 32.2% stake in Pos Malaysia. The Government will also look to revising the restriction on the usage of the land occupied by Pos Malaysia.
Conversion of land is not entirely new as it has been done in the case of KTM Bhd where parcels of land were converted for commercial development.
In Pos Malaysia’s case, the due diligence may well take up to three months and it will have to look at a model that best suits its needs and propose to the Government what can be done to unlock the value of the land and also ensure it provides recurring income to mitigate the declining volumes of its snail mail business.
Analysts view the conversion or transfer of land to Pos Malaysia as a sweetener to potential investors for Khazanah’s stake in the company.
It is unclear at this juncture if Pos Malaysia has to pay for the land but experts believe any payment would involve a lump sum at preferential rates.
Syed Faisal said there was “great” potential for the land but he would not elaborate.
“Getting the land will be a bonus as it is not featured in our three-year transformation plan,” he added. The plan, which began last August, is intended to transform the group into a more agile postal organisation that is cost efficient and customer-centric.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/15/business/6059530&sec=business
By B.K. SIDHU
Properties may be converted to unlock value
bksidhu@thestar.com.m
KUALA LUMPUR: Pos Malaysia Bhd is exploring ways to unlock the value of the land on which its post offices and other operations are located, including conversion of its use and ownership transfer to the postal company.
The 697 post offices, 32 mail-processing centres and over 300 delivery centres that Pos Malaysia operates in the country occupy over 250 acres of land, the bulk of which belongs to the Federal Land Commissioner.
“The charter says we can only operate postal services on these locations but we are thinking of a conversion and a change in ownership. The idea of conversion is to re-develop some of the parcels so that we can sell (them) and re-invest the funds in the company,” Pos Malaysia group managing director/CEO Datuk Syed Faisal Albar said.
As some of the land parcels are not deemed to be in strategic locations for postal operations, they could be leased out or hived off and even redeveloped.
“We will seek guidance on how to get around this land issue. We cannot at this juncture say exactly what the value of the landbank is as we need to conduct a due diligence for each property,” Syed Faisal told StarBiz in an interview.
He said globally, many of the postal companies, including those in Germany and Singapore, had rights to the land on which they operated and had in the past sold part of that land and redeveloped other portions for recurring income purposes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently announced as part of the New Economic Model that Khazanah Nasional Bhd would divest its 32.2% stake in Pos Malaysia. The Government will also look to revising the restriction on the usage of the land occupied by Pos Malaysia.
Conversion of land is not entirely new as it has been done in the case of KTM Bhd where parcels of land were converted for commercial development.
In Pos Malaysia’s case, the due diligence may well take up to three months and it will have to look at a model that best suits its needs and propose to the Government what can be done to unlock the value of the land and also ensure it provides recurring income to mitigate the declining volumes of its snail mail business.
Analysts view the conversion or transfer of land to Pos Malaysia as a sweetener to potential investors for Khazanah’s stake in the company.
It is unclear at this juncture if Pos Malaysia has to pay for the land but experts believe any payment would involve a lump sum at preferential rates.
Syed Faisal said there was “great” potential for the land but he would not elaborate.
“Getting the land will be a bonus as it is not featured in our three-year transformation plan,” he added. The plan, which began last August, is intended to transform the group into a more agile postal organisation that is cost efficient and customer-centric.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/15/business/6059530&sec=business
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Analisis Saham: Pos Malaysia mampu tingkat untung
Oleh Kamarulzaidi Kamis
kamarulzaidi@bharian.com.my
2010/04/12
Segmen runcit, penghantaran ekspres, kenaikan tarif bakal jana pertumbuhan baru
PELABUR dan penganalisis semakin yakin mengenai potensi peningkatan keuntungan Pos Malaysia Bhd susulan pengumuman kenaikan caj penghantaran surat dalam negara mulai 1 Julai ini. Pos Malaysia baru-baru ini mengumumkan kenaikan tarif pos domestik antara lain bagi surat berat standard antara 20-30 gram kepada 60 daripada 30 sen dan bagi surat seberat sehingga 50 gram harga pos dinaikkan kepada 70 sen daripada 40 sen. Peningkatan tarif yang pertama dibuat dalam tempoh 18 tahun itu, kata Pos Malaysia, secara umumnya membabitkan surat standard kurang 50 gram, surat tidak standard kurang 100 gram, surat berkala, dokumen pos, surat berdaftar dan bungkusan kurang dua kilogram.
Bagaimanapun, kata syarikat itu, ia akan memperkenalkan perkhidmatan Mel Rakyat pada Mei ini, yang menyamai bentuk dan fungsi Aerogram bagi memenuhi keperluan pelanggan yang mahukan harga pos yang lebih rendah iaitu 30 sen bagi penghantaran domestik.
Walaupun pengumuman kenaikan harga pos itu disusuli dengan kenaikan gaji kakitangan kumpulan itu, penganalisis pasaran secara umumnya berpendapat, langkah itu adalah bertepatan kerana kos boleh ditampung kenaikan tarif pos.
Penganalisis OSK Research Sdn Bhd, Ahmad Maghfur Usman, berkata semakan kadar pos itu dibuat tepat pada masanya dalam usaha meningkatkan kebajikan kakitangan Pos Malaysia, khusus yang bernaung di bawah kesatuan sekerjanya supaya selaras dengan gaji kakitangan awam serta kesatuan sekerja industri lain.
Katanya, sebelum kenaikan kadar tarif pos berbanding kuasa beli (PPP) setiap rakyat Malaysia adalah yang terendah di rantau ini.
Beliau berkata, kadar itu adalah 13 sen bagi surat di bawah 30 gram, lebih rendah daripada Indonesia pada kadar 32 sen, Filipina (26 sen) dan China (22 sen).
Pos Malaysia adalah pengendali tunggal perkhidmatan pos di Malaysia. Dalam tempoh sedekad lalu, syarikat itu berjaya mengembangkan sumber pendapatannya dengan penawaran pelbagai perkhidmatan berkaitan pos.
Pos Malaysia mengendali 1.26 bilion mel dalam tahun kewangan 2009. Sejak dua dekad lalu, teknologi digital menyebabkan pengguna beralih menggunakan komunikasi elektronik seperti pesanan ringkas, e-mel dan faks justeru, menjejaskan jumlah mel dikendalikan syarikat itu.
Ahmad Maghfur menjangka jumlah penggunaan mel mengalami aliran menurun kerana terdapat kemungkinan syarikat, khususnya institusi perbankan dan syarikat utiliti di negara ini, yang lazimnya menghantar penyata dan bil, akan mula menggalakkan pelanggan masing-masing menggunakan perkhidmatan semakan bil dan penyata secara dalam talian.
“Kami menjangka jumlah surat akan menyusut kepada 1.023 bilion menjelang tahun kewangan 2012 daripada 1.271 bilion pada 2008 kerana dalam jangka panjang syarikat akan beralih menggunakan penyata secara dalam talian,” katanya.
Sementara, hasil kendalian surat dijangka menyumbang 65 peratus keuntungan pada 2012, namun OSK Research menjangka segmen runcit dan penghantaran ekspres yang kini menyumbang 33 peratus keuntungan bakal muncul sebagai enjin pertumbuhan baru kumpulan itu, jika ia mengambil peluang mewujudkan pakatan strategik dengan pihak ketiga yang berpotensi.
Dalam pada itu, OSK Research menjangka kenaikan gaji kakitangan sebanyak 20 peratus bermula Julai ini akan memberi kesan kecil kepada kedudukan kewangan Pos Malaysia.
“Kami yakin semakan gaji akan meningkatkan kos sumber manusia sebanyak 14 peratus bagi tahun kewangan 2010. Jumlah itu secara keseluruhannya adalah RM623.1 juta bagi tahun kewangan 2010 atau 66 peratus daripada perbelanjaan operasi, jumlah hampir sama dengan tahun kewangan 2009.
“Untuk tempoh selanjutnya, kos operasi dijangka terkawal dengan pengenalan pusat pemprosesan surat baru di Shah Alam yang menjalankan proses kendalian surat secara automatik, justeru, mengurangkan kerja lebih masa dan sebagainya.
“Kami memulakan liputan pertama kajian ke atas Pos Malaysia dengan panggilan ‘beli’ susulan semakan semula tarif pos dengan harga sasaran RM3.52 sesaham. Kenaikan tarif itu akan meningkatkan pendapatan purata sepucuk surat yang dikendalikan kepada 85 sen sepucuk menjelang 2011 daripada 44.6 sen kini,” kata OSK Research.
Sementara itu, AmResearch dalam nota penyelidikannya berkata, bahagian penyelidikan itu menaikkan saranan ke atas Pos Malaysia daripada ‘pegang’ kepada ‘beli’ dengan meningkatkan sasaran harga sahamnya kepada RM3.80 daripada sasaran sebelumnya RM2.30 sesaham.
http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/AnalisisSaham_PosMalaysiamamputingkatuntung/Article/
kamarulzaidi@bharian.com.my
2010/04/12
Segmen runcit, penghantaran ekspres, kenaikan tarif bakal jana pertumbuhan baru
PELABUR dan penganalisis semakin yakin mengenai potensi peningkatan keuntungan Pos Malaysia Bhd susulan pengumuman kenaikan caj penghantaran surat dalam negara mulai 1 Julai ini. Pos Malaysia baru-baru ini mengumumkan kenaikan tarif pos domestik antara lain bagi surat berat standard antara 20-30 gram kepada 60 daripada 30 sen dan bagi surat seberat sehingga 50 gram harga pos dinaikkan kepada 70 sen daripada 40 sen. Peningkatan tarif yang pertama dibuat dalam tempoh 18 tahun itu, kata Pos Malaysia, secara umumnya membabitkan surat standard kurang 50 gram, surat tidak standard kurang 100 gram, surat berkala, dokumen pos, surat berdaftar dan bungkusan kurang dua kilogram.
Bagaimanapun, kata syarikat itu, ia akan memperkenalkan perkhidmatan Mel Rakyat pada Mei ini, yang menyamai bentuk dan fungsi Aerogram bagi memenuhi keperluan pelanggan yang mahukan harga pos yang lebih rendah iaitu 30 sen bagi penghantaran domestik.
Walaupun pengumuman kenaikan harga pos itu disusuli dengan kenaikan gaji kakitangan kumpulan itu, penganalisis pasaran secara umumnya berpendapat, langkah itu adalah bertepatan kerana kos boleh ditampung kenaikan tarif pos.
Penganalisis OSK Research Sdn Bhd, Ahmad Maghfur Usman, berkata semakan kadar pos itu dibuat tepat pada masanya dalam usaha meningkatkan kebajikan kakitangan Pos Malaysia, khusus yang bernaung di bawah kesatuan sekerjanya supaya selaras dengan gaji kakitangan awam serta kesatuan sekerja industri lain.
Katanya, sebelum kenaikan kadar tarif pos berbanding kuasa beli (PPP) setiap rakyat Malaysia adalah yang terendah di rantau ini.
Beliau berkata, kadar itu adalah 13 sen bagi surat di bawah 30 gram, lebih rendah daripada Indonesia pada kadar 32 sen, Filipina (26 sen) dan China (22 sen).
Pos Malaysia adalah pengendali tunggal perkhidmatan pos di Malaysia. Dalam tempoh sedekad lalu, syarikat itu berjaya mengembangkan sumber pendapatannya dengan penawaran pelbagai perkhidmatan berkaitan pos.
Pos Malaysia mengendali 1.26 bilion mel dalam tahun kewangan 2009. Sejak dua dekad lalu, teknologi digital menyebabkan pengguna beralih menggunakan komunikasi elektronik seperti pesanan ringkas, e-mel dan faks justeru, menjejaskan jumlah mel dikendalikan syarikat itu.
Ahmad Maghfur menjangka jumlah penggunaan mel mengalami aliran menurun kerana terdapat kemungkinan syarikat, khususnya institusi perbankan dan syarikat utiliti di negara ini, yang lazimnya menghantar penyata dan bil, akan mula menggalakkan pelanggan masing-masing menggunakan perkhidmatan semakan bil dan penyata secara dalam talian.
“Kami menjangka jumlah surat akan menyusut kepada 1.023 bilion menjelang tahun kewangan 2012 daripada 1.271 bilion pada 2008 kerana dalam jangka panjang syarikat akan beralih menggunakan penyata secara dalam talian,” katanya.
Sementara, hasil kendalian surat dijangka menyumbang 65 peratus keuntungan pada 2012, namun OSK Research menjangka segmen runcit dan penghantaran ekspres yang kini menyumbang 33 peratus keuntungan bakal muncul sebagai enjin pertumbuhan baru kumpulan itu, jika ia mengambil peluang mewujudkan pakatan strategik dengan pihak ketiga yang berpotensi.
Dalam pada itu, OSK Research menjangka kenaikan gaji kakitangan sebanyak 20 peratus bermula Julai ini akan memberi kesan kecil kepada kedudukan kewangan Pos Malaysia.
“Kami yakin semakan gaji akan meningkatkan kos sumber manusia sebanyak 14 peratus bagi tahun kewangan 2010. Jumlah itu secara keseluruhannya adalah RM623.1 juta bagi tahun kewangan 2010 atau 66 peratus daripada perbelanjaan operasi, jumlah hampir sama dengan tahun kewangan 2009.
“Untuk tempoh selanjutnya, kos operasi dijangka terkawal dengan pengenalan pusat pemprosesan surat baru di Shah Alam yang menjalankan proses kendalian surat secara automatik, justeru, mengurangkan kerja lebih masa dan sebagainya.
“Kami memulakan liputan pertama kajian ke atas Pos Malaysia dengan panggilan ‘beli’ susulan semakan semula tarif pos dengan harga sasaran RM3.52 sesaham. Kenaikan tarif itu akan meningkatkan pendapatan purata sepucuk surat yang dikendalikan kepada 85 sen sepucuk menjelang 2011 daripada 44.6 sen kini,” kata OSK Research.
Sementara itu, AmResearch dalam nota penyelidikannya berkata, bahagian penyelidikan itu menaikkan saranan ke atas Pos Malaysia daripada ‘pegang’ kepada ‘beli’ dengan meningkatkan sasaran harga sahamnya kepada RM3.80 daripada sasaran sebelumnya RM2.30 sesaham.
http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/AnalisisSaham_PosMalaysiamamputingkatuntung/Article/
Monday, April 12, 2010
SK Telecom says approached by P1
Published: 2010/04/13
SK Telecom Co, South Korea’s largest mobile-phone operator, said it was approached by Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to buy a stake in the Malaysian company.
Nothing has been decided, Irene Kim, a spokeswoman at the Seoul-based company, said by telephone today.
SK Telecom is among foreign telecommunications companies interested in buying a stake in Packet One, the Business Times reported today.
The wireless-broadband unit of Green Packet Bhd may raise about US$100 million selling a 20 per cent stake in itself, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Green Packet today unveiled its latest range of high performance and economical WiMAX modems at the WiMAX Forum Congress Asia in Taipei.
The new EX series, featuring data and voice ports, is designed to deliver superior indoor performance, at an affordable price, to cater to the diverse needs of operators worldwide.
Green Packet's Senior General Manager Kelvin Lee said with the increasing number of WiMAX deployements, devices and subscribers worldwide, the shipment of WiMAX devices was expected to grow three times in 2010 from 4.8 units shipped in 2009. - Bloomberg/Bernama
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20100413110706/Article/index_html
SK Telecom Co, South Korea’s largest mobile-phone operator, said it was approached by Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to buy a stake in the Malaysian company.
Nothing has been decided, Irene Kim, a spokeswoman at the Seoul-based company, said by telephone today.
SK Telecom is among foreign telecommunications companies interested in buying a stake in Packet One, the Business Times reported today.
The wireless-broadband unit of Green Packet Bhd may raise about US$100 million selling a 20 per cent stake in itself, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Green Packet today unveiled its latest range of high performance and economical WiMAX modems at the WiMAX Forum Congress Asia in Taipei.
The new EX series, featuring data and voice ports, is designed to deliver superior indoor performance, at an affordable price, to cater to the diverse needs of operators worldwide.
Green Packet's Senior General Manager Kelvin Lee said with the increasing number of WiMAX deployements, devices and subscribers worldwide, the shipment of WiMAX devices was expected to grow three times in 2010 from 4.8 units shipped in 2009. - Bloomberg/Bernama
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20100413110706/Article/index_html
P1 stake sale may raise US$100m
By Goh Thean Eu Published: 2010/04/13
A few parties have approached Packet One, including South Korea's SK Telecom, and talks are still in the early stages, sources say
Wireless broadband service provider Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1), a unit of Green Packet Bhd (0082), may raise about US$100 million (RM319 million) by selling a fifth of the company to a strategic investor.
It is believed that there are a few interested parties which have approached P1, including foreign telecommunications companies like South Korea's SK Telecom.
"So far, a few parties have approached P1. Talks are still in the early stages. Nothing is finalised yet. It may take months before anything concrete happens," sources told Business Times.
Money from the share sale would come in handy for P1's aggressive plans to expand its network coverage in the country.
P1, the first Malaysian company to roll out wireless broadband services using the WiMAX technology, currently covers more than 30 per cent of the population in Peninsular Malaysia. It aims to cover more than 60 per cent within three years.
Competition among wireless broadband providers is expected to be intense this year, driven by aggressive campaigns by mobile operators Maxis Bhd, Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd. The YTL group will also officially launch its wireless broadband services at the end of the year.
Despite the tough competition, suitors are keen on P1 as the market holds potential.
"Being the market leader in the WiMAX space is certainly a plus point. Moreover, broadband penetration is still relatively low, indicating good growth potential," said the source.
According to research by companiesandmarkets.com, the country's broadband subscriber base is expected to more than triple to eight million by end-2014 from 2.62 million subscribers last year. The subscriber base includes both mobile and fixed broadband customers.
P1 has invested close to RM600 million since it launched its broadband services about two years ago. It had some 139,000 subscribers last year.
The company hopes to double its subscriber base by the year-end.
Green Packet group managing director Puan Chan Cheong, when contacted, said it was the company's policy not to respond to speculation or rumours.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/p112/Article/index_html
A few parties have approached Packet One, including South Korea's SK Telecom, and talks are still in the early stages, sources say
Wireless broadband service provider Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1), a unit of Green Packet Bhd (0082), may raise about US$100 million (RM319 million) by selling a fifth of the company to a strategic investor.
It is believed that there are a few interested parties which have approached P1, including foreign telecommunications companies like South Korea's SK Telecom.
"So far, a few parties have approached P1. Talks are still in the early stages. Nothing is finalised yet. It may take months before anything concrete happens," sources told Business Times.
Money from the share sale would come in handy for P1's aggressive plans to expand its network coverage in the country.
P1, the first Malaysian company to roll out wireless broadband services using the WiMAX technology, currently covers more than 30 per cent of the population in Peninsular Malaysia. It aims to cover more than 60 per cent within three years.
Competition among wireless broadband providers is expected to be intense this year, driven by aggressive campaigns by mobile operators Maxis Bhd, Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd. The YTL group will also officially launch its wireless broadband services at the end of the year.
Despite the tough competition, suitors are keen on P1 as the market holds potential.
"Being the market leader in the WiMAX space is certainly a plus point. Moreover, broadband penetration is still relatively low, indicating good growth potential," said the source.
P1 has invested close to RM600 million since it launched its broadband services about two years ago. It had some 139,000 subscribers last year.
The company hopes to double its subscriber base by the year-end.
Green Packet group managing director Puan Chan Cheong, when contacted, said it was the company's policy not to respond to speculation or rumours.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/p112/Article/index_html
Friday, April 9, 2010
Telco industry shocked at Digi official's quitting
Friday April 9, 2010
Why did Johan Dennelind quit since he was doing well at DiGi? That is the question being asked around at many lunch tables on Thursday
That means those who are used to this soft-spoken man will miss him. He is the sort that would not kill an ant.
But why did he quit since he was doing well at DiGi? That is the question being asked around at many lunch tables yesterday.
Has it anything to do with Telenor’s 49% stake in DiGi or was it about career advancement? Whatever, he has chosen to remain silent and is away on holiday with his family.
May 17 is his last day at DiGi after clocking in two years.
Dennelind has done a lot in the past two years while at the helm of DiGi. He is credited for the operational efficiency, something needed since margins in the cellular business is thinning. He also was instrumental in charting the future course of DiGi when it got the 3G spectrum in 2008. He understood perfectly well what the 3G spectrum could do for DiGi and how to tackle the Malaysian broadband market that had suffered downtime.
The 1 Low Flat Rate to all networks across prepaid, postpaid and business segment is a plan which is the envy of many operators. And under his leadership DiGi managed to become the most admired company for innovation for the third year running, an award that came from Wall Street Journal Asia.
Johan Dennelind Soon enters Henrik Clausen at DiGi. He is from Telenor Denmark and is said to have vast knowledge of the broadband business and that is just apt given the fact that DiGi is pinching market share in the broadband area in Malaysia. He has his own credentials and let’s hope he scores marks the way Shearer, Lundal and Dennelind did.
DiGi as a company has done well, be it in profits, market position or its share price, and Telenor as an investor has stayed true to the market even at times when it failed to get spectrum from the Government.
What Dennelind and Lundal have done for DiGi is phenomenal. Lundal, credited for having destroyed the old culture and created DiGi’s own innovative culture and Dennelind for operational efficiency.
The stakes are therefore high for Clausen. His challenge is to ensure that DiGi continues to shine and retain or expand market share, but at no cost, should the culture of innovation be changed.
Broadband is an area that needs to be further developed in DiGi’s bid to grow non-voice revenues at a time when fast speed fixed line broadband is creating waves. Skeptics say profits there may be but hope the culture of ploughing back into the business be retained and the interest of minorities taken care of.
This is nothing Telenor does not know about but the skeptics will have cause for concern since the resignation of Dennelind has come as a shock.
l B.K. Sidhu is deputy news editor. She picked up two Norwegian words – farvel and velkommen – and takes this opportunity to wish Dennelind “farvel” and “velkommen” to Clausen.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/9/business/6019692&sec=business
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Now iPhone users have a choice
Friday April 2, 2010
FRIDAY REFLECTIONS
By B.K. SIDHU
WHO wants to be a millionaire ... oops, I mean a phoneaire?
Taking the theme of Slumdog Millionaire, DiGi.Com Bhd had its own show when it introduced the iPhone to the media on Wednesday.
Set at Good Evening Bangkok restaurant in One Utama, the phoneaire show had Praveen Rajan of DiGi’s product marketing as the chai wallah (tea boy) and marketing head Albern Murty, the host of the show. The questions were pretty simple and the impersonation of Anil and Jamal by Albern and Praveen hilarious.
Though the little show lacked the usual fanfare of launches that most companies indulge in, it marked the beginning of DiGi’s journey with iPhone. The iPhone is supposed to help DiGi grow revenues beyond the industry’s average 5% growth this year.
In a week, the phone company had 10,000 pre-orders of the iPhones and since its launch the numbers are growing by the day. Obviously the pent-up demand is huge and this also shows that a cheaper entry for iPhone is what people are looking for.
Now they have a choice. Maxis Communications Bhd had a year of exclusivity selling the iPhone till March 31.
This lifestyle device happens to be one of the many smartphones available in the market but only DiGi and Maxis sell the iPhone. Celcom Axiata Bhd has yet to find a common ground with Apple Inc on selling the iPhone.
Competition is here and is much needed. Just days before DiGi’s launch, Maxis dropped its prices by RM200 so that its pricing is not too far off DiGi’s.
The fight is not so much on devices as pricing is somewhat fixed by Apple; the tussle is in tariff pricing. DiGi’s killer package is its lowest all-in-one price of RM106 per month. The setback in this is that you are married to DiGi for 36 months.
Fear not, number portability allows you to sign up with one operator and port with another. Just get the best deal that suits you.
Small they may be compared with laptops and desktops, but smartphones are the ones that can spur the growth of mobile Internet in this country. This device has changed the way people communicate, work and play.
But there are issues in the industry and missing 3G signals is high on the list as this frustrates users who fail to get data at the speed they want. The norm is about nine seconds to get to a site but some people have to wait two minutes. The easy way out is blame coverage, the phone or its antennae but the problem is more deeply rooted.
The solution, according to an expert, is that operators need to add more Node Bs – these are 3G base stations – in existing and new sites, increase more backhaul capacity for nodes and to do this they need to use fibre optics to the backhaul from the Node B rather than using microwave; and refresh to newer generation of Node Bs that offer higher throughput per node. All these will significantly increase capacity, speed, coverage and quality
This means more capital expenditure. The issue is not about the operator’s willingness, but about how fast they realise their networks are choked and start deploying to avoid mass exodus of subscribers.
In the United States and Europe, operators have gone into selling Femtocells to improve quality of indoor wireless coverage. Femtocells is like your own personal node-B that resembles the WiFi router in appearance. Plug into your fixed line broadband connection and it creates a personal bubble for your signal and throughput.
The sad part is users have to pay for Femtocell, in Britain it is £50. The debate is on whether users or the operator should bear the cost of improving signal and throughput.
With more smartphones hitting the market this year in Malaysia, should the local 3G operators be thinking of Femtocells and would they ship the Femtocells for each iPhone they sell until they fix their network throughput issues?
Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu believes number portablity is a good way to grab the best deals in town.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/2/business/5981009&sec=business
FRIDAY REFLECTIONS
By B.K. SIDHU
WHO wants to be a millionaire ... oops, I mean a phoneaire?
Taking the theme of Slumdog Millionaire, DiGi.Com Bhd had its own show when it introduced the iPhone to the media on Wednesday.
Set at Good Evening Bangkok restaurant in One Utama, the phoneaire show had Praveen Rajan of DiGi’s product marketing as the chai wallah (tea boy) and marketing head Albern Murty, the host of the show. The questions were pretty simple and the impersonation of Anil and Jamal by Albern and Praveen hilarious.
Though the little show lacked the usual fanfare of launches that most companies indulge in, it marked the beginning of DiGi’s journey with iPhone. The iPhone is supposed to help DiGi grow revenues beyond the industry’s average 5% growth this year.
In a week, the phone company had 10,000 pre-orders of the iPhones and since its launch the numbers are growing by the day. Obviously the pent-up demand is huge and this also shows that a cheaper entry for iPhone is what people are looking for.
Now they have a choice. Maxis Communications Bhd had a year of exclusivity selling the iPhone till March 31.
This lifestyle device happens to be one of the many smartphones available in the market but only DiGi and Maxis sell the iPhone. Celcom Axiata Bhd has yet to find a common ground with Apple Inc on selling the iPhone.
Competition is here and is much needed. Just days before DiGi’s launch, Maxis dropped its prices by RM200 so that its pricing is not too far off DiGi’s.
The fight is not so much on devices as pricing is somewhat fixed by Apple; the tussle is in tariff pricing. DiGi’s killer package is its lowest all-in-one price of RM106 per month. The setback in this is that you are married to DiGi for 36 months.
Fear not, number portability allows you to sign up with one operator and port with another. Just get the best deal that suits you.
Small they may be compared with laptops and desktops, but smartphones are the ones that can spur the growth of mobile Internet in this country. This device has changed the way people communicate, work and play.
But there are issues in the industry and missing 3G signals is high on the list as this frustrates users who fail to get data at the speed they want. The norm is about nine seconds to get to a site but some people have to wait two minutes. The easy way out is blame coverage, the phone or its antennae but the problem is more deeply rooted.
The solution, according to an expert, is that operators need to add more Node Bs – these are 3G base stations – in existing and new sites, increase more backhaul capacity for nodes and to do this they need to use fibre optics to the backhaul from the Node B rather than using microwave; and refresh to newer generation of Node Bs that offer higher throughput per node. All these will significantly increase capacity, speed, coverage and quality
This means more capital expenditure. The issue is not about the operator’s willingness, but about how fast they realise their networks are choked and start deploying to avoid mass exodus of subscribers.
In the United States and Europe, operators have gone into selling Femtocells to improve quality of indoor wireless coverage. Femtocells is like your own personal node-B that resembles the WiFi router in appearance. Plug into your fixed line broadband connection and it creates a personal bubble for your signal and throughput.
The sad part is users have to pay for Femtocell, in Britain it is £50. The debate is on whether users or the operator should bear the cost of improving signal and throughput.
With more smartphones hitting the market this year in Malaysia, should the local 3G operators be thinking of Femtocells and would they ship the Femtocells for each iPhone they sell until they fix their network throughput issues?
Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu believes number portablity is a good way to grab the best deals in town.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/2/business/5981009&sec=business
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)