KUALA LUMPUR: Mobile network operator YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms), a 60%-owned subsidiary of YTL Power International Bhd, said expansion plans are on track and Sabahans and Sarawakians can expect the company’s YES 4G network to hit their shores within the next 12 months.
“We [YTL Comms] are in the process of securing licences from the government to launch YES 4G in east Malaysia and expect the process to take about 12 months,” YTLComm chief marketing officer Chee Pok Jin said during a media event yesterday.
Chee pointed out the fact that mobile broadband is virtually non-existent in Sabah and Sarawak and this presents a huge opportunity for the company.
Since the launch of YES 4G mobile broadband and telecommunications service in November 2010, YTL Comms has managed to attract over 300,000 subscribers.
YTL Comms CEO Wing K Lee did not disclose target subscription numbers for next year but said subscriptions are on track with the company’s plans.
Wing said mobile phone penetration in Malaysia is almost at 100% but Internet penetration lags behind at 60% penetration. He hopes that YES 4G will be able to bridge the digital divide and to take advantage of the disparity. In the 11-month span since the start of commercial operations, YTL Comms has deployed an additional 800 base stations over its original 1,200.
YTL Comms’ 4G coverage currently is at 65% of the population with its 2,000 base stations which it intends to increase by 500 by year-end.
Wing intends to double that figure to over 4,000 base stations by end-2012 which will allow 85% of Malaysia’s population access to the 4G network.
When asked about the cost of next year’s expansion Wing replied: “We cannot discuss the figures. We are a private company, so we do not have to submit to short-term pressures. Nonetheless, it is within our funding to go ahead with the expansion.”
YTL Comms has expanded from its initial 600 stores to almost 2,000 nationwide with retail outlets opening in places like East Coast Mall in Kuantan.
To date, the telecommunications company has recorded seven million minutes of talk time, two million SMSes sent and 825 terabytes of data downloaded. Wing was also happy to announce customers’ satisfaction of 86%.
Earlier this month, YTL Comms won the Global 2011 InfoVision Awards for its innovative Yes 4G service dubbed, “Malaysia’s fastest mobile Internet with voice.”
This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, October 25, 2011.
“We [YTL Comms] are in the process of securing licences from the government to launch YES 4G in east Malaysia and expect the process to take about 12 months,” YTLComm chief marketing officer Chee Pok Jin said during a media event yesterday.
Chee pointed out the fact that mobile broadband is virtually non-existent in Sabah and Sarawak and this presents a huge opportunity for the company.
Since the launch of YES 4G mobile broadband and telecommunications service in November 2010, YTL Comms has managed to attract over 300,000 subscribers.
YTL Comms CEO Wing K Lee did not disclose target subscription numbers for next year but said subscriptions are on track with the company’s plans.
Wing said mobile phone penetration in Malaysia is almost at 100% but Internet penetration lags behind at 60% penetration. He hopes that YES 4G will be able to bridge the digital divide and to take advantage of the disparity. In the 11-month span since the start of commercial operations, YTL Comms has deployed an additional 800 base stations over its original 1,200.
Wing says YTL Comms has enough funds to proceed with next year's expansion.
YTL Comms’ 4G coverage currently is at 65% of the population with its 2,000 base stations which it intends to increase by 500 by year-end.
Wing intends to double that figure to over 4,000 base stations by end-2012 which will allow 85% of Malaysia’s population access to the 4G network.
When asked about the cost of next year’s expansion Wing replied: “We cannot discuss the figures. We are a private company, so we do not have to submit to short-term pressures. Nonetheless, it is within our funding to go ahead with the expansion.”
YTL Comms has expanded from its initial 600 stores to almost 2,000 nationwide with retail outlets opening in places like East Coast Mall in Kuantan.
To date, the telecommunications company has recorded seven million minutes of talk time, two million SMSes sent and 825 terabytes of data downloaded. Wing was also happy to announce customers’ satisfaction of 86%.
Earlier this month, YTL Comms won the Global 2011 InfoVision Awards for its innovative Yes 4G service dubbed, “Malaysia’s fastest mobile Internet with voice.”
This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, October 25, 2011.
