Photo (front row): (fourth from left) Abraham Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; (fifth from left) Dato’ Sri Shazalli Ramly, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad; (sixth from left) Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson Malaysia and Sri Lanka; (seventh from left) Ramanathan Sathiamutty, Chief Of Operations, Technology, Digital, & Enabler Officer, Celcom Axiata Berhad; Together with Celcom’s senior management during the collaboration ceremony.
Celcom Axiata Berhad (Celcom), on April 26th 2016, announced its commitment to intensify its 4G LTE network, with the help of Ericsson Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Ericsson) and Huawei Technologies (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Huawei), as the two companies will be Celcom’s main network infrastructure partners. As part of the announcement, Celcom said that it will be deploying LTE Advanced (LTE-A) by October 31st 2016, and Celcom will be on track to meet Malaysian government’s goal of achieving a 95 percent LTE population penetration by 2020 (four to five years from now). The deal is said to be valued between RM1.8 billion and RM2.2 billion for the next five years.
The collaboration with Ericsson and Huawei will make them responsible for integrating, deploying, and managing Celcom’s 4G LTE network developments. Both partners will also be delivering the “Full Turnkey” supply and delivery of — product, equipment, system, works, and services — for Celcom’s Radio Access Network (RAN).
Both Ericsson and Huawei will develop Celcom’s 4G LTE infrastructure in the Klang Valley. Ericsson will be in charge of building Celcom’s 4G LTE network in Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak, and Terengganu, while Huawei will focus its development efforts in Johor, Penang, Perak, and Perlis.
Dato’ Sri Shazalli Ramly, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad, said at the event, “Celcom has always been at the forefront of upholding its brand promise to its customers by providing ultra-fast, seamless, and widest network. With a strong growth in subscribers today, Celcom is taking this step in ensuring that it will provide the best network quality and ultra-fast 4G LTE data traffic. We have established a strong partnership with key industry players in the nation that can only enhance our network capabilities and bring the best network quality, nationwide. These key players possess the technological competency, capability in the provision of end-to-end solutions for mobile broadband network, and a proven track record in implementing 4G projects around the world.”
Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson Malaysia and Sri Lanka, added, “This is another milestone in our long-term partnership with Celcom. Ericsson is committed to working with Celcom in providing their customers with amazing user experiences through this development of the latest generation of Ericsson network solutions. Smartphone usage is exploding; the society and industries in Malaysia are keen to capture the benefits of mobility and broadband. Malaysia is digitizing at an enormous speed and as leaders in our respective industries, Ericsson and Celcom are perfect partners for this transformation journey.”
Abraham Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies (M) Sdn. Bhd., who is also present at the event, commented, “Together, Huawei and Celcom will work towards making this collaboration a resounding success and bring forth the next level of customer experience for Celcom’s subscribers. They will be able to enjoy high-definition (HD) video anywhere, access social media seamlessly, and chat with their family and friends at all times. Together, Huawei and Celcom will build a better connected Malaysia.”
Celcom said it currently has around 3,500 LTE sites throughout the nation as of the end of 2015. It is aiming at a 80 percent population coverage for 4G LTE by the end of 2016, and as mentioned earlier, 95 percent by 2020.
Shazalli added, “As we continue to focus on building and innovating towards the development of our great and enhanced data network and coverage, we are certain that through our solid leadership in data, we will meet the government’s goal of achieving 95 percent LTE population penetration nationwide by 2020. We believe that our great network which has been our strongest arm in the company since its inception in 1988, can never take a moment to step back. From ensuring and ultra-fast 4G LTE connection and great coverage throughout the country in every populated area, to innovation in meeting the ever-changing consumer behavior, Celcom will not rest and will continue to invest in its network.”
Besides promising LTE-A deployment in six months by October 31st 2016, Celcom also said that it has already made its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) tests in the Klang Valley, though the telco did not specify when it will be launching the service to the public. Both Digi and Maxis already have their LTE-A networks ready for the public in certain Klang Valley spots, while Digi has been testing its VoLTE service since last year.
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