CelcomDigi: Network integration 35pc completed, up to 26pc improvement in download speed

Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — CelcomDigi Berhad (CelcomDigi) has recently announced its Q4 2023 and full-year 2023 results. According to the merged telco, they have delivered a strong growth performance in line with its 2023 guidance which was enabled by solid market execution and efficient cost management.

CelcomDigi Network Integration exercise 35pc completed

On the network side of things, CelcomDigi claims to have completed 35 per cent of its network integration and modernisation exercise ahead of its original Phase 1 plan of 30 per cent by the end of 2023. As of December 2023, they have modernised a total of 5,665 sites and have phased out 2,400 sites.

As a result, CelcomDigi says customers now get a better mobile experience with signal strength improvements of 13-16 per cent and improved download speeds by 20-26 per centas recorded by Ookla. It added that data traffic on their network has increased by 10-17 per cent. Breaking down the figures, Digi customers use an average of 26.1GB per month (5.7 per cent increase Quarter on Quarter), while Celcom customers use an average of 31.2GB per month (10.2 per cent increase Quarter on Quarter).

The major network exercise aims to integrate the respective 12,000+ network sites from both Celcom and Digi into a single integrated network with 18,000 sites. Through the integration and modernisation exercise, CelcomDigi aims to streamline overlapping sites to eliminate duplication. At the same time, it aims to maximise its spectrum portfolio by creating a multilayer and multiband network which includes the deployment of 900MHz spectrum at all sites to improve coverage and indoor service quality.

At the moment, CelcomDigi’s 4G LTE coverage stands at 97 per cent of populated areas while its 4G LTE+ network covers 91 per cent of populated areas in Malaysia. In the last quarter of 2023, CelcomDigi has invested RM1.01 billion in capital expenditure (Capex) which brings the total Capex to RM1.75 billion, which translates to a Capex intensity of 13.8 per cent in FY2023.

CelcomDigi prepaid subscriptions declined by 130,000

In terms of subscriptions, CelcomDigi currently has 6.98 million Postpaid subscribers and an Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of RM68. The postpaid subscriber count has increased by 80,000 while service revenue grew by 0.9 per cent from Q3 to Q4 2023. Meanwhile, for prepaid, CelcomDigi has 13.48 million subscribers which is a decline of 130,000 from Q3 2023. ARPU for prepaid is at RM28 and the telco posted a slight service revenue growth of 0.1 per cent .

CelcomDigi Fibre and Wireless broadband business continues to grow

CelcomDigi’s fibre and wireless broadband business has shown positive growth with a total of 131,000 subscribers and an ARPU of RM126 in Q4 2023. Their broadband subscriptions grew by 10,000 in the last quarter and posted a service revenue growth of 4.4 per cent QoQ. — SoyaCincau