Axiata Group Berhad Continues Winning Streak with Frost & Sullivan 2011 Asia Pacific ICT Award for Best Telecom Group for the third consecutive Year

AUTHOR : Faridah Hashim 

Kuala Lumpur 10 June 2011, Axiata Group Berhad ("Axiata") has been named 'Frost &Sullivan's 2011 Asia Pacific ICT Award Best Telecom Group of the Year', for the third consecutive year. This is a prestigious award determined by a high-level and respected panel of telecom experts from all over the world. The honours follow on from the Group's 

recent sweep at the Telecom Asia awards, where three awards in total were picked for the Group.

Axiata Group took home four awards in total with PT XL Axiata Tbk ("XL") winning the 'Wireless Service Provider of the Year' and 'Service Provider of the Year'. Alongside these, XL's President and Director, Hasnul Suhaimi, was given the prestigious individual award for 168 million 'CEO of the Year: Service Provider' award.

To qualify for the award, companies were studied on their revenues, market share, capabilities and overall contribution to the industry.

Dato' Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Axiata said, "We are delighted and it is a great honour to be accorded this recognition. It is a testament to the har work and effort we have put in to meet the needs of our over customers across the region."

Marc Einstein, Industry Manager Asia Pacific ICT Practice, Frost & Sullivan said, "Axiata had another outstanding year in 2010, reporting US$5.1bn in revenue which led all industry peers with a growth rate of 17.3% from 2009. The company also reported a significant increase growing from 5.1 percentage points from 2010 in EBITDA margin to reach 45.2%. Axiata's growth was driven by XL in Indonesia who was able to record 27.0% revenue growth and an 8 percentage point increase in EBITDA margin to 52.7%".

"The awards reflect the great team that we have with us and are really a collective victory to be fully shared with all our employees. I also congratulate all XL employees and in particular Pak Hasnul, for his strong and creative leadership. XL had a fantastic 2010 and the awards are testament to this. I also have to thank our stakeholders, especially the customers throughout the region. We will continue to build on our strengths as a pan-Asian carrier, providing world-class telecommunications services to customers across the region" Dato' Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim concluded.

About Axiata

Axiata is one of the largest Asian telecommunication companies, focused on high growth low penetration emerging markets. Axiata has controlling interests in mobile operators in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia with significant strategic stakes in India, Singapore and Iran. India and Indonesia are amongst the fastest growing markets in the world. In addition, the Malaysian-grown holding company has stakes in non-mobile telecommunication operations in Thailand.

The Group's mobile subsidiaries and associates operate under the brand name 'Celcom' in Malaysia, 'XL' in Indonesia, 'Dialog' in Sri Lanka, 'Robi' in Bangladesh, 'HELLO' in Cambodia, 'Idea' in India, 'M1' in Singapore and 'MTCE' in Iran (Esfahan).

The Group, including its subsidiaries and associates, has over 168 million mobile subscribers in Asia. The Group revenue for 2010 was RM15.6 billion. The Group provides employment to over 25,000 people across Asia. Axiata's vision is to be a regional champion by 2015 by piecing together the best throughout the region in connectivity, technology and talent, uniting them towards a single goal: Advancing Asia.

Axiata was awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2009 and 2010 Asia Pacific ICT Award for Best Telecom Group and the Telecom Asia Best Regional Mobile Group 2010 and 2011 for its operations in multiple Asian markets. 

SOURCE : www.axiata.com

CVT Technology In New PROTON Cars

SUBANG JAYA, 4 JULY 2011 – PROTON Holdings Berhad announced today that it will be introducing Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) technology to its upcoming range of cars. “We have been conducting comprehensive development and integration tests of the CVT with our CamPro engines and we are happy to be able to provide this option to future buyers soon,” said Dato' Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Group Managing Director of PROTON Holdings Berhad.

CVT technology has been growing in popularity amongst high-end auto manufacturers globally as it provides a smoother drive and more efficient performance to their cars. This technology, though not new, has only recently made its way into cars on a large scale with many major automotive companies successfully developing advanced CVT mechanisms that are able to take heavier drive loads compared to earlier variations. 

“In the near future, CVT will be mated to our CamPro engines as an option to our range of cars along with the conventional four speed automatic gear transmission that is currently being used,” Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal said. “This feature will not only provide more than just a smoother drive but it will also contribute towards fuel efficiency and savings to the user,” he added. 

In comparison to traditional automatic gear transmissions, the utilization of CVT in an engine system reduces transmission weight by up to 20 percent without compromising output capabilities. It allows the car to change gear ratios seamlessly, eliminating transmission shock, facilitating greater responsiveness and smooth, consistent power delivery. CVT also offers various driving modes to suit the driver’s preference and feel. 

“In view of fuel price pressure on consumers, we know that the introduction of CVT will contribute significantly to improving their lives as it not only provides them with a smoother drive but also helps reduce fuel consumption.” 

Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal highlighted that PROTON tests show that the utilization of CVT in a car can reduce fuel consumption by up to 4% with regards to urban driving and almost up to 10% for highway driving. 

“Lower fuel consumption also impacts the environment significantly by reducing CO2 emissions,” he said, elaborating that the efficiency of the CVT technology integrated into Proton engines has resulted in a 5% emissions improvement. 

“PROTON is consistently improving its cars; from build quality to the introduction of various technologies to enhance its engine and driving capabilities,” said Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal. “The inclusion of CVT to our next generation of cars will not only keep us on a technological par with major automakers but will also contribute positively towards providing Malaysians with greater value for their money.”