Edotco boosts commitment to Pakistan via three new agreements

KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 (Bernama) -- Axiata Group Bhd's subsidiary edotco Group Sdn Bhd, a leading end-to-end integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, today signed three agreements to boost connectivity capabilities in Pakistan via shared telecommunication towers as well as more efficient operations and energy management.

In a statement, edotco said the agreements inked today with three of the country’s major mobile network operators (MNOs) -- Jazz, Telenor and Zong 4G -- came amid increased bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Pakistan.

The signings, which entailed investments of up to US$80 million, were witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Edotco chief executive officer Suresh Sidhu, who was also present, said Pakistan would reap the full benefits of digitalisation when the nation was equipped with the right infrastructure that was shareable, future-ready and could meet the increasing demands for connectivity spanning throughout the country. 

“As a longstanding partner in nation-building, we put forth infrastructure sharing as a proven proposition to accelerate MNO deployment initiatives,” he said. 

Dr Mahathir is currently in Pakistan for a three-day official visit starting yesterday.

To date, edotco group’s business in Pakistan has grown to about 1,000 fully operational towers  nationwide with a workforce of about 110 telecom professionals.

Through its local operations, the company has invested over US$110 million in growing their local operations in 2018. 

The investments announced today in Pakistan represent part of the US$250 million the company intends to invest over the next five years. 

-- BERNAMA