Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Historic merger marks new chapter in Malaysia's digitalisation journey: We are in pole position.

30/11/2022

11 minute read

Share

Digi Telenor Asia

For over 20 years, Digi has empowered Malaysian society, connected people to what matters most, and fueled the country's digital transition. With Celcom Digi commencing operations on 1 December, the next phase of Telenor in Asia begins.

This is truly a special day, both for our customers in Malaysia and Telenor, comments Sigve Brekke, President & CEO of Telenor Group, when asked about the first day of operations for the new Malaysian telco Celcom Digi.

The company is in a pole position when it comes to creating more customer value, and I'm confident that Celcom Digi will play a key role in setting Malaysia up for the digital future, says Brekke.

The newly established company, which is a result of the merger of Axiata subsidiary Celcom and Telenor subsidiary Digi, will create an approximately USD10 billion converged operator in Malaysia. Telenor and Axiata will be equal owners and operational influence through Board representation. Telenor representatives on the Celcom Digi board include J rgen C. Arentz Rostrup (Deputy Chair), Rita Skj rvik, and H kon Kj l.

The merger is a clear sign of how Telenor is executing on the strategy we presented at the Capital Markets Day in September, underlines Brekke.

Read also: Axiata and Telenor announce the successful completion of the Celcom and Digi merger

Sigve Brekke, President & CEO of Telenor Group, presented the strategy for a Reshaped Telenor at Telenors Capital Markets Day 2022 at Telenor HQ Fornebu.

On track with Asia ambitionsIt was in April 2021 that Telenor and Axiata first announced that they were in advanced discussions to merge their Malaysian operations. In addition to value creation and playing an important role in Malaysia's digital aspiration, the objective of the merger was to establish a leading market player that could have a greater impact and be a strong local partner for high-value customers, enterprises, and SMEs.

The new entity is taking the best from both companies. It's well positioned to drive innovation and high-skilled employment, increase consumer choice for digital needs, and explore opportunities within 5G services, AI, and IoT, says J rgen C. Arentz Rostrup, EVP and Head of Telenor Asia.

Telenor and Axiata will be equal partners in the merged company, with 33.1 percent ownership each. Rostrup calls the merger a momentous milestone for Telenor's work to build scale and profitable business as well as manage risk more efficiently in the Asia region.

Our ambition is to become a leading operator in several markets because we believe it's a good way to increase value for businesses, consumers, and shareholders. This mega merger in Malaysia puts us in the right direction and provides a solid platform for sustainable long-term growth. Structural partnerships or an initial public offering are future options for Telenor Asia, says Rostrup.

In Thailand, Telenor and CP Group aim to complete an amalgamation of the subsidiaries dtac and True within the first quarter of 2023.

Sigve Brekke and J rgen C. Arentz Rostrup visited Malaysia in June 2022, when the merger process received regulatory clearance from MCMC, the Malaysian regulator.

A new dawn for Telenor in MalaysiaFor Telenor, the merger signals a new dawn for the company's history in Malaysia - a history that spans back to 1999, when the company first bought a stake in Digi.

Digi was the first major investment Telenor made in Asia. For 22 years, we learnt about Malaysia and its dynamic competitive market. We are proud of how Digi has developed into an innovative and customer focused telecom operator and contributed to empowering the Malaysian society and helped people connect to what matters most to them, Brekke reminisces.

Telenor's journey in Asia began two years earlier with Bangladesh in 1997. 25 years later, Telenor has over 165 million customers in the region and has, for more than two decades, supported national digital ambitions across Southeast Asia.

Improving people's lives and empowering societies has, is, and always will be Telenor's foundation for growth in Asia. Seeing how mobile connectivity and digitalisation impact people confirms our companies' important contribution to societal development, says Rostrup, who refers to a recent Telenor Asia study of 8,000 people in South and Southeast Asia. In the survey, a whopping 93 per cent said that mobile connectivity improved their quality of life.

However, as mobile connectivity evolves from a nice-to-have to a must-have, both Brekke and Rostrup believe that to reap the full benefits of how new technologies, such as cloud computing, analytics, and storage, can further empower societies, telcos need to think differently.

For Telenor's operations in Asia, our ability to provide value to customers and society require new thinking. With Celcom Digi, we can stay competitive, drive growth, build scale, and enhance execution capabilities and innovation momentum, says Rostrup, who oversees the company's operations in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Thailand from Singapore.

The formation of Telenor Asia was announced in October 2022, and is a continuation of Telenor's unified Asia business which was established two years earlier. Telenor Asia is a more autonomous regional entity with headquarters in Singapore that has complete oversight and responsibility for the company's operations in the region.

The merged telco Celcom Digi will commence operations on 1 December 2022.

Thanks to all Digizens The Telenor you see today is not the Telenor you will see in the future, proclaimed Brekke at Telenor's Capital Markets Day this year. Taking the number one position in Malaysia and establishing a more autonomous Telenor Asia entity are parts of the reshaped Telenor that will ensur
LINK: https://www.telenor.com/media/newsroom/announcement/historic-merger-ma...
See more stories from telenor

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

29/09/2026

Oak View Group Names Cisco as Official Technology Partner

Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...

29/09/2026

SportsNet Pittsburgh Wins Three Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards

SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards. Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...

29/09/2026

CBC, PWHL Revive Hockey Night in Canada' on Saturdays

The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...

29/09/2026

Manifold Technologies Recognized as MXL Contributor Following IBC Innovation Award

Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...

29/09/2026

Fubo Launches My Local Sports RSN Add-On Package

FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...

29/09/2026

ANI Deploys Grass Valley AMPP and Framelight X for News Operations

Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...

29/09/2026

SABC Deploys Ikegami UHK-X600 Cameras for IP-Based Production

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...

29/09/2026

Busy in Bristol: ESPN Headquarters Come Alive With New Studio W, Remote-Production Workflows

REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...

29/09/2026

NASCAR Productions' Keith D'Alessandro on the Continued Evolution of Its Centralized Production Hub

Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...

29/09/2026

NBC Sports Brings Robust Sunday Night Baseball Production Playbook to MLB Wild Card Round

NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...

29/09/2026

Sundance Institute Announces 2026 Doc Fund Grantees

19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary LOS ...

29/09/2026

Zynaptiq introduce Loud & Wide

Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...

29/09/2026

Wes Audio unveil the ngOmniBox

All-in-one bus processor revealed Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...

29/09/2026

First Baptist Nashville Drastically Upgrades Production Communications with...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

29/09/2026

Fubo TV Launches My Local Sports'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

ARRI Targets Content Creators with New HONOR Smartphone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

Asian News International Enhances Workflow with Grass Valley AMPP, FramelightX

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

SABC Chooses Ikegami UHK-X600 Cameras to Support IP Studio Transition

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

SABC Upgrades to IP-Based Production with Ikegami UHK-X60...

Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...

29/09/2026

Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone

Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone Brie Clayton September 29, 2026 0 Comments Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...

29/09/2026

Ease Live Reports over 75 Million Interactive Sessions Du...

Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...

29/09/2026

Ease Live to monetise key moments in live sports

Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...

29/09/2026

Rise AV launches awards celebrating the women advocates a...

Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...

29/09/2026

Netflix Deploys Advanced Sony PTZ Cameras For Wonka's The Golden Ticket' Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

Massachusetts Broadcasters Association Names Gene Lavanchy 2026 Broadcaster of the Year

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

ESPN Reports Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

Scripps Taps Digital News Veteran Sean McGarvy to Lead News Strategy

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

Gray Raises Political Ad Revenue Estimates

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

Edward Czarnecki Uses Game Theory to Assess ATSC 3.0 Transition Policies

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

29/09/2026

First Baptist Nashville Drastically Upgrades Production C...

Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...

29/09/2026

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch Brie Clayton September 28, 2026 0 Comments Camera's portable design and dynamic range...

29/09/2026

Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Color Across In-venue Displays at Live Events

Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...

29/09/2026

Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards

Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...

29/09/2026

Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop

Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...

29/09/2026

The energy transition will only succeed if it lasts

We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...

29/09/2026

Apple releases new guide to help families build healthy digital habits - UPDATE - Posted on 29 September 2026

Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...

29/09/2026

Final Cut Camera now supports variable aperture on iPhone\u00A018\u00A0Pro - UPDATE - Posted on 29 September 2026

Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...

29/09/2026

RT lyric fm launch the hunt for Choirs for Christmas

RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...

28/09/2026

NHL Names Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner

The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...

28/09/2026

MultiDyne to Showcase Expanded Portfolio Including MRMC Robotics at CABSAT 2026

MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...

28/09/2026

ARRI and HONOR Launch Co-Branded HONOR Magic9 Pro Max

ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...

28/09/2026

Net Insight Adds Nimbra 1020G to Pan-Asian Live Media Trial Network

Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...

28/09/2026

Vindral Named Recipient of 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award

Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...

28/09/2026

Interra Systems to Demonstrate QC and Monitoring Portfolio at CABSAT 2026

Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...

28/09/2026

PGA TOUR's Michael Raimondo on Agentic Production, ShotLink Automation, and the Evolution of PGA TOUR Studios

Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...