On the right track in Asia
Article:
Telenor experienced solid growth in the second quarter of 2010 in all of its Asia operations.
With 13 per cent organic revenue growth stemming from Asia during Q2 2010, Telenor is on the right track. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Telenor Group CEO, attributed much of Asia’s increased usage numbers to the spread of smartphones across Thailand and Malaysia.
“So far, 2010 has been a good year for our Asian operations. This quarter we saw subscription numbers and revenue in local currency increase throughout the region – indicating that the Telenor model is working in these markets. Our experience and knowledge from all of our markets help us create effective solutions and services for each of our operating companies,” said Sigve Brekke, Telenor’s Head of Asia region.
This has been a year of new and expanded services for the Asian market. From Telenor Pakistan’s expansion of easypaisa to mobile banking and most recently insurance and savings product, to dtac’s awarding winning service to aid Thai farmers with relevant agricultural information, to Uninor’s new offer of dynamic pricing for their customers, Telenor is making headway in addressing the relevant, local needs of each of its markets.
“Rather than implementing strategies that work for Norway in a market such as Malaysia, we instead turn to the people, our customers, to find out what they really need from their mobile operator. People are at the center of everything we do, and we will continue to work hard to give them the types of mobile and Internet services that make their lives easier,” said Brekke.
Asia summarized
Grameenphone, the largest mobile operator in Bangladesh, saw an increase of 2.6 million subscriptions during Q2, and a revenue increase of 15 per cent in local currency. The company attributes this growth to increased revenues from subscription and traffic, as well as successful handset and modem sales.
Telenor Pakistan, the second largest mobile operator in Pakistan, experienced an increase of 0.5 million in the number of subscriptions along with a 20 per cent increase in revenue in local currency. They attribute these positive trends to having more subscribers on their network.
dtac, Thailand’s second largest mobile operator, experienced subscriber growth of 0.4 million and 9 per cent revenue growth in local currency. Higher mobile traffic and improved handset sales contributed to this growth.
DiGi, Malaysia’s most innovative company, had a subscription increase coupled with an 11 per cent growth in revenue. Their new handset bundling offers along with more user traffic are the reasons behind their success this past quarter.
Uninor, Telenor’s most recent venture in Asia, witnessed both subscriber and revenue growth as well. This past quarter, Uninor was the first operator in India to offer dynamic pricing, a way for customers to save money simply by changing locations when using their mobile phones.