First half 2021 Key Highlights (vs first half 2020)
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Telekom Malaysia Berhad's (TM) revenue for the first half of 2021 (1H2021) grew strongly by 8.2% to RM5.57 billion, compared to RM5.15 billion in the same period last year. In a statement today, the company said this achievement was driven by growth across all its customer segments – unifi, TM ONE and TM WHOLESALE.
On the back of this higher revenue and better cost efficiency, Group EBIT rose by 29.9% to RM977.3 million, from RM752.4 million last year. Subsequently, Group PATAMI grew 27.3% to RM544.0 million, from RM427.2 million in the same period last year.
The Company continues to invest in future growth by modernising its network and technology platforms, to deliver the best current and future solutions for its multi-segment customers. CAPEX spending in the first half of the year stood at RM597.0 million or 10.7% of revenue. Of the amount invested, 65% was for network access, 16% for core network, and the balance 19% for support systems.
Fibre broadband of choice – highest ever new unifi customers recorded in 2Q2021
unifi recorded several operational milestones with more than 210,000 new customer activations in the second quarter of 2021 (2Q2021). This is the highest number of unifi activations in a quarter in its 11-year history. unifi achieved an important milestone of 2.0 million customers in May 2021. By the end of June, the overall fixed broadband customer base had gone up to 2.55 million, representing a solid 15% growth over the past 12 months since June 2020.
This growth was enabled by the higher number of ports added in 2Q2021 and wider fibre network coverage, exceeding the targets committed in the JENDELA plan, achieving 138% of its commitment in 1H2021.
unifi also increased its sales and installation capacity to meet strong fibre broadband demand. unifi also saw positive uptake of device bundles with the enhanced unifiYourWorld campaign offering smart lifestyle devices, unlocking the unlimited possibilities to enrich users' digital lifestyle and needs.
unifi brought live streaming of the recent Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 13 HD channels for free via unifi PlayTV app and unifi Plus Box, to enable Malaysians to support our athletes competing at the games.
Customer touchpoints and support remains in operation with stricter SOPs
As more Malaysians are working from home, conducting business online, participating in online learning and keeping the family entertained while staying safely at home, TM observed that internet usage went up by 45% since the start of MCO in March 2020.
All customer support services remain in operation with stricter SOPs to continuously serve customers. Customer care lines remain open and attended to over 3.6 million customer interactions in 1H2021.
TMpoint outlets and key partner stores remain open for service applications and essential transactions while adhering to strict SOPs. TM is also expanding and renovating selected TMpoint outlets with localised flavour, self-serve kiosks and implementing many other improvements to enhance its customers' experience.
New service installation and restoration activities remain available for customers with SOPs in place to ensure the safety of both, customers and TM personnel. Notably, TM activated unifi Rovers nationwide to help customers sign up easily.
Due to the higher volume of interactions during this pandemic period, customers are encouraged to use self-serve digital channels such as the unifi portal and myunifi app which are available 24/7 for service registration, service diagnostics, account-related enquiries and payment. A more simplified and personalised digital bill was also introduced for bill payment convenience of customers.
TM ONE is committed to accelerating MyDIGITAL aspirations with cutting-edge digital infrastructure and solutions
TM ONE continues to be the digital enabler and trusted partner for enterprise and public sector customers by providing dependable connectivity and delivering new customer projects in 1H2021. As customers pursue to accelerate their digitalisation adoption, this has translated into new contracts and renewals.
Following its appointment as the sole Malaysian Cloud Service Provider (CSP) under the MyDIGITAL blueprint, TM ONE sees growing demand for its Cloud services from enterprises and government agencies. In addition, TM ONE also served international demand to fulfil hyperscaled requirements as the local data centre provider.
With its complete suite of cybersecurity solutions under TM ONE CYDEC, TM ONE has formed alliances with strong global and local cybersecurity players to further enhance its ability to detect and eliminate cyber threats for enterprise and public sector customers. This will help pave the way for digital trust and cyber resiliency to help nurture a safer and more robust national cyber ecosystem.
TM WHOLESALE strengthens domestically, further builds partnership ecosystem globally
Domestically, TM WHOLESALE continues its growth momentum as the preferred infrastructure partner for High Speed Broadband (HSBB) access services. It also achieved further expansion of infrastructure coverage and capacity for Next Generation Backhaul services for several mobile network operators. TM WHOLESALE also secured bandwidth capacity upgrades for major Domestic Wholesale Data solutions and services.
Internationally, TM WHOLESALE strengthened its partnership ecosystem with more global telcos and hyperscalers for International Data services. TM WHOLESALE also secured more deals with global telcos and hyperscalers for International Ethernet services. It also expanded its digital media delivery network ecosystem with growth from domestic and international digital content players.
Focused on value creation and ESG for sustainable growth
TM continues to focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles of sustainable and ethical business practices in serving the nation:
- Governance: TM is committed to uncompromising integrity. All its suppliers have signed the TM Integrity Pledge and more than 90% of Warga TM have progressively completed the Uncompromising Integrity e-learning module. TM also ensures that its corruption mitigation practices are independently certified - having completed the Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) certification and the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP).
- Social: TM aims to deliver social impact by ensuring the wellbeing of its Warga TM and the nation. TM is committed to bridging connectivity through the JENDELA plan. TM remains fully supportive of the Government's recovery plan - "Pelan Pemulihan Negara" - via its connectivity, digital infrastructure and solutions as well as various social contributions.
- Environment: TM continuously strives to reduce its annual carbon emissions from electricity usage through the retirement of old networks, implementation of an Energy Management System and improvement of energy-saving practices.
TM is continuously improving these sustainability efforts while at the same time upholding its commitment to its stakeholders.
Imri Mokhtar, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of TM commenting on the results:
"I am pleased to report that we have recorded a solid performance in the first half of the year and we are on track to meet our 2021 targets in line with market guidance. Coming off an exceptional first quarter, we recorded notable improvements in our 1H 2021 revenue and profitability against the same period last year.
"This was driven by higher revenue achieved by all of our customer segments – unifi, TM ONE & TM WHOLESALE and better cost efficiency. The current nationwide movement control order (MCO) has certainly influenced our business landscape and customer operations, but we are delighted with the momentum of our value programmes and the commitment of our frontliners.
"Our revenue in 1H2021 recorded an increase of 8.2% at RM5.57 billion against RM5.15 billion in the same period last year, driven by revenue growth from all customer segments. Our EBIT has increased by 29.9% from RM752.4 million to RM977.3 million.
Malaysia's economic growth outlook for 2021 continues to be challenging with the prolonged movement restrictions brought about by Covid-19. Notwithstanding the headwinds, our role remains. We will continue to serve the nation by meeting the demand for internet and data, both at the retail and wholesale fronts. This is evident through the acceleration of the number of ports deployed and the fibre network expansion under our Jalinan Digital Negara (JENDELA) commitment, which is well ahead of schedule. We remain steadfast and will leverage our comprehensive connectivity, digital infrastructure and other smart solutions to support the nation's digital aspirations under the MyDIGITAL blueprint.
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TM R&D recognised at MDEC’s Inaugural Malaysia Digital Economy Industry Awards 2022
Acknowledgement for its support for the agency and contribution to the development of the digital ecosystem Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) recently received the ‘Data Sharing Technology Excellence’ award in recognition of its contribution as a partner to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in growing the data ecosystem in Malaysia. The recognition was given away at the inaugural Malaysia Digital Economy Industry Awards 2022 organised by MDEC, to show appreciation and recognise industry players who have been supporting the agency as well as contributing to the development of the digital ecosystem. Present to accept the award from Dato’ Seri Haji Mohammad Mentek, Secretary General of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, was Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer of TM R&D. Commenting on the milestone achievement, Dr. Sharlene said, “This recognition reaffirms our efforts in developing digital ecosystems to facilitate Malaysians in embracing a more digital lifestyle. It is a proud moment for us at TM R&D and we look forward to continue working closely with MDEC and other agencies with similar aim, contributing our expertise to accelerate data technology adoption and facilitating talent development as well as industry-academic collaboration.” In 2020, TM R&D was appointed as MDEC’s Data Technology Partner under its Data Technology Partnership Programme. The appointment allows TM R&D to work hand-in-hand with MDEC and enterprises in multiple collaboration activities, leveraging on each other’s core expertise and capabilities to accelerate the adoption of data technology among businesses toward boosting Malaysia’s digital economy. TM R&D and MDEC also joined forces to launch a one-stop data exchange platform under MDEC’s #DigitalVsCovid initiative to facilitate and accelerate data sharing. The goal was to bolster research efforts in combating COVID-19. The development of the Data Exchange Platform was among the initiatives aimed at expediting access to data for developers, students, scientists and medical practitioners as well as government agencies. This will help them gather new insights easily on the pandemic and, eventually, pave the way for major breakthroughs. The Data Exchange Platform was built on TM R&D’s Open Innovation Platform (OIP), Malaysia’s first Open Software Development Platform. It consists of a data brokerage platform, an Application Programming Interface (API) store-front and an end-to-end (e2e) ecosystem for the rapid development of smarter 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) services that enable the creation of new revenue opportunities. Established in 2001, TM R&D is the innovation arm of TM Group focusing on creating smarter ecosystems to make business and life easier for a better Malaysia. TM R&D’s solutions are clustered around four pillars namely Intelligent Platforms, Data Brokerage, Connectivity/Tools and IR4.0/Digital Solutions. Growing from strength to strength, TM R&D has won multiple global awards and generated more than 2,800 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and 1,400 digital assets to date. TM R&D’s innovations are developed in-house and cut across multiple industries such as Utilities, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Education, with safety and productivity as its top priority.

TM announces another steady full year performance (FY2021) with EBIT up 6.6% at RM1.71 billion; revenue up 6.4% at RM11.53 billion; declares 6 sen per share dividend
As a result of jump in revenue and continuous cost optimisation initiatives, Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) increased 6.6% to RM1.71 billion from RM1.60 billion in 2020 despite one-off provisions, impairments and accelerated depreciation Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM or the Group) delivered yet another healthy set of financial results for the Full Year 2021 ended 31 December 2021 as compared to the same period last year (YoY), despite protracted impact from the ongoing pandemic on the economic and business front. Fueled by strong growth in unifi revenue and fixed broadband subscribers, as well as sharp growth in the TM Wholesale business which registered increasing data demands from hyperscalers, and international and domestic service providers, TM recorded a 6.4% rise in revenue to clock in at RM11.53 billion from RM10.84 billion in 2020. This marked revenue improvement as well as the Group’s continuous cost optimisation initiatives led to the increase in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), up 6.6% YoY to RM1.71 billion, from RM1.60 billion last year. Profit After Tax and Non-Controlling Interests (PATAMI) at RM895.2 million dipped 11.9% contributed by higher taxation including provision for Cukai Makmur, lesser interest income and forex losses, as well as impairment of TM’s mobile assets as the Group prepares itself for 5G. Based on its steady financial position and strong Free Cash Flow generation, the Board of Directors proposed the final interim dividend at 6 sen per share, resulting in a total dividend of 13 sen per share for 2021, in line with the Group’s growth investment strategy. CAPEX for the year was reported at RM1.70 billion, or 14.7% of revenue, reflecting TM’s commitment to reinvest in business expansion, new growth areas and provide great experience and services for its growing base of customers. Free Cash Flow at RM2.19 billion rose 9.5% from RM2.00 billion, ensuring steady growth ahead of a demanding future. unifi: Record-breaking revenue, total subscribers It was a landmark year for unifi, contributing to the Group’s strong performance. Overall unifi revenue grew by 10.3% driven by increased fixed broadband subscribers, with 2.78 million cumulative registered subscribers - the highest number of unifi and fixed broadband customers registered, as well as highest number of ports installed. In addition to unifi’s drive to reduce broadband downtime to the absolute minimum for its customers, the business introduced five #unificares initiatives to refine its end-to-end customer experience, with the highlight being unifi’s 24-hour service restoration guarantee, the first of its kind in the Malaysian telecommunications industry. In its effort to support SME recovery and growth, unifi has offered more than 377,000 local SMEs special packages with complete digital ecosystem to help them to grow their business and stay competitive. unifi will continue to maintain its leadership in convergence of broadband, content, mobile and solutions for both home and SMEs customers. With online connectivity playing a central role to enable Digital Malaysia, unifi bridges the connectivity gap by serving customers with innovative and high-quality products and services. TM Wholesale (TMW): Realising 5G and Malaysia’s digital hub aspiration TM continues to drive wholesale business for both domestic and international segments via TM Wholesale (TMW). With a strong performance last year, TMW’s posted revenue grew by 14.7% due to solid partnership expansion with domestic and international customers. Domestically, as the preferred fibre service provider, TMW will continue to pursue 4G and 5G fibre infrastructure deployment as well as promoting collaboration with domestic service providers, in line with the Government’s JENDELA initiative. The 5G fibre leasing services (worth RM2 billion over 10 years) for Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB)’s 5G infrastructure needs, is a testament of TM’s commitment to infrastructure sharing in enabling excellent wireless solutions and services. TMW also recorded the highest active ports subscription for wholesale High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) access with more than 550,000 cumulative ports for Malaysian fibre broadband providers. On the international front, TMW continues with its aspiration to become a digital hub for the ASEAN region through strategic collaborations with hyperscalers and global service providers. The year saw a solid achievement with 190 new deals from hyperscalers and global service providers for various wholesale International Data offerings. This translated into the highest annual revenue contribution from major hyperscalers worldwide, a milestone year in building a regional hub position for Malaysia. TM ONE: Custom solutions and digital adoption amid a challenging landscape TM ONE is expected to remain competitive amidst the challenging economic and business environment. This is driven by its strong value proposition of offering the end-to-end managed services and digital solutions, backed by robust digital connectivity and infrastructure. As the only home-based Cloud Service Provider (CSP) with data sovereignty assurance, TM ONE will continue enhancing its Cloud service as a complete digital solution by embedding analytics, smart services/IoT and cybersecurity to cater for the key industry verticals. Enterprises and public sector services are on an accelerated path to digitally transform, leveraging on cloud architecture and smart services as a foundational pillar to unlock innovation opportunities, stay resilient and maintain a competitive edge, all in line with Malaysia’s MyDIGITAL aspirations. In becoming a trusted cloud partner, TM ONE focused its efforts in boosting proficiencies and competencies of its solution consultants, technology experts as well as international certifications. It has attained four (4) International Standard certifications (ISO/IEC) for Cloud α (pronounced as Cloud alpha) on Information Security Management System (ISMS), Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) and Cloud Specific Controls. Commentary and Outlook from Imri Mokhtar, TM Group Chief Executive Officer “As the enabler of Digital Malaysia, TM remains steadfast in its efforts to realise the national digital aspirations. We are committed to support the Government’s efforts to re-build the economy post-pandemic. For 2021, TM has shown positive results, driven by the New TM Transformation Programme which has delivered overall growth in TM’s revenue and EBIT. Cost rationalisation has also significantly improved the Group’s profitability. As TM enters its second year of transformation in 2022, we are activating more programmes to ensure we quickly move forward as a growth company, and keep pace with our trajectory. TM’s revenue growth is expected to remain intact, in line with the Group's market guidance, which is between low to middle single digit growth, while EBIT is projected to be more than RM1.80 billion, driven by TM’s three Lines of Business: unifi, TM ONE and TM Wholesale. We expect to invest between 14% to 18% of our revenue this year on Capex, reflecting our continued commitment to reinvesting into growth areas, capability, and capacity building, as well as enhanced customer experience. In promoting sustainability, TM aligns its ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) vision and commitments to national and global aspirations. For Environmental, TM is committed to achieve carbon emission reduction by 30% in 2024, 45% by 2030 and Net-Zero emission by 2050. On Social, TM is set to enable MyDIGITAL Blueprint 2025 targets by ensuring at least 70% of premises have access to high-speed Internet. Under Governance, TM works hand-in-hand with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to continue upholding our zero-tolerance to any form of corruption and maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance. This year, we will continue to power a digital nation, by delivering great Customer Experience, Solutions and Connectivity Excellence. This is made possible with unwavering support from its core execution engine; the employees or "Warga TM" who are fully dedicated and committed to enabling a Digital Malaysia, bridging the digital divide and in step, reducing the income divide.” In its pursuit to strengthen its core connectivity and invest more in digital, TM is future-proofing the organisation with future-ready skills and digital workforce, as part of its aspiration in becoming a human-centred technology company.” Guidance for 2022 is summarised below: Revenue Growth Low to middle single digit growth Low to middle single digit growth EBIT More than RM 1.8 billion CAPEX / Revenue Between 14% - 18%

TM data centres now powered by clean energy
TM secures Green Electricity Tariff (GET) from TNB for its KL, Cyberjaya and Johor Bahru data centres, adding to their Green Building Index (GBI) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications Customers of data centre services provided by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) will now be able to accelerate their sustainability journey, with the Group recently securing Green Electricity Tariff (GET) from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) for three (3) of its data centres. The data centres comprise the Klang Valley Core Data Centre (KVDC) in Cyberjaya, Iskandar Puteri Core Data Centre (IPDC) in Johor Bahru and KL City Data Centre (CTDC) in Brickfields. This adoption of green energy supply complements the data centres’ Green Building Index (GBI) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications obtained previously for their efficient energy use, further cementing TM’s commitment towards reducing carbon emission and impact on the environment. GET is one of the Government’s initiatives to provide Malaysian consumers the option to use green electricity coming from renewable energy supply as the country moves towards achieving net-zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2050. GET subscribers are supplied with electricity coming from solar and hydro generators instead of fossil-fuel based. Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM said, “The largest source of carbon emission worldwide is from electricity generation as well as heat management, and data centres use significant amounts of power to run the IT and Cloud workloads. This indirectly contributes to high level of carbon emission as the electricity typically comes from fossil fuel-based energy supply. With this clean electricity, we will substantially reduce the impact our data centres have on the environment, while continuing to enable our customers, from large enterprises, the public sector or global hyperscalers, to enjoy the convenience, stability and security of our data centre services. “For our data centre customers who are conscious of the green efforts in their business operations, GET fulfills this need, enabling them to deliver their products and services in a greener manner to their end customers. This green initiative by TM will provide a total energy saving of 27 million kWh per year, which is equivalent to a total carbon emission of 19,134 metric tons,” he added. “To put that into perspective, this is comparable to the amount of electricity used at 3,476 homes for a year, or 9.7 million litres of petrol consumed by the average automobile.” The adoption of GET is the latest among the Group’s various initiatives under the Environmental pillar of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitment. Mindful of its responsibilities towards environment conservation and climate impact, the Group has included sustainability factors in all its operations in addition to running nature preservation activities via its foundation, Yayasan TM. In promoting sustainability, TM remains steadfast in its ESG commitments. For Environmental, the Group will progressively cut down emissions by 30% in 2024, 45% by 2030 and achieve Net-Zero emission by 2050. On Social, TM is set to provide access to high-speed internet to at least 70% of premises nationwide. The Group promotes gender diversity in decision-making roles by having a minimum of 30% women on its Board of Directors and in Management. Under Governance, TM will continue working with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to uphold its zero-tolerance to any form of corruption and maintain the highest standards of corporate governance.