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 ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

28/01/2026

2026 Sundance Film Festival Reveals Short Film Program Award Winners

Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor Third Row: The Boys and ...

28/01/2026

3 Easy Ways to Discover Music That Fits Your Moment on Spotify

Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...

28/01/2026

From $11B in 2025 Payouts to What We're Building for Artists in 2026

Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...

28/01/2026

Sediba Scriptwriting Training Programme - Oudtshoorn Municipality (Second Call)

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...

28/01/2026

MVP makes a tactical switch to Calrec Argo M

As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...

28/01/2026

Aussies' love of travel sees 12% surge in ad investment according to Nielsen

Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...

28/01/2026

Daniel Finn Joins LABF in Philanthropy Role

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

Tegna Expands Local News Offering with Revamped Mobile App

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

Marshall Electronics Unveils CV420 27X UHD Camera at ISE...

Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...

28/01/2026

TVM Selects Grass Valley Technology for OB Truck Refurbis...

Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...

28/01/2026

FOR-A to show cutting edge technology at FOMEX 2026

AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...

28/01/2026

Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast and AV...

Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...

28/01/2026

Pebble appoints Paul Nagle-Smith to drive fulfilment

Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...

28/01/2026

TV Azteca Strengthens Disaster Recovery Capabilities with...

Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...

28/01/2026

MVP kicks off major football tournament with a tactical s...

Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...

28/01/2026

Akamai and Yospace Deliver Seamless Personalized Ad Exper...

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...

28/01/2026

Clear-Com Empowers Reykjavik City Theatre with New Upgrad...

The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...

28/01/2026

SES Acknowledges Fitch's Rating Action and Reiterates Deleveraging Plan

Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...

28/01/2026

OpenDrives Announces New Funding, Appoints Trevor Morgan CEO

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

AWARN Alliance Backs ATSC Sunset, NextGen TV Security Measures

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

More Than Two Dozen Groups Tell FCC to Reject Nexstar-Tegna Deal

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/01/2026

Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach to increase the impact of local content

28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...

28/01/2026

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonardo Dugan

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...

28/01/2026

VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Financial Information

28 Jan 2026 VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...

28/01/2026

Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC

Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...

28/01/2026

The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for 'Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole'

Back to All News The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...

28/01/2026

Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case

Back to All News Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case Entertainment 28 January 2026 GlobalSpain Link copied to ...

28/01/2026

Netflix Announces Santiago Mitre's New Film Starring Vernica Llins and Peter Lanzani

Back to All News Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...

28/01/2026

Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for 'Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine'

Back to All News Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...

28/01/2026

Stadtwerke Wolfhagen modernize customer management with AEP.EnergySuite from Arvato Systems

Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...

27/01/2026

Akamai and Yospace Deliver Seamless, Personalised Ad Experiences to Tens of Millions of ABEMA Users

Click for Japanese version Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...

27/01/2026

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Sundance Institute Name Winners of Science-In-Film Initiative's Feature Film Prize and Artist Grants

L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...

27/01/2026

B-LINE Is Here to Help: Backline Launches 24/7 Music Industry Mental Health & Crisis Support Line in Partnership with Spotify

Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...

27/01/2026

Netn Vega's Genre-Bending Sound Hits a Crossover Moment on Spotify's RADAR

With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...

27/01/2026

25 Ontario Named One of Torontos Best New Buildings

January 14, 2026 We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...

27/01/2026

Full-Building Lease Secured at Speers Road

January 22, 2026 First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...

27/01/2026

Another Gold for First Gulf and 351 King Street East

January 23, 2026 First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...

27/01/2026

Clear-Com Empowers Reykjavik City Theatre with New Upgrades

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

27/01/2026

Hubbard Broadcasting Renews Partnership With Nielsen in Albany and Albuquerque-Santa Fe Markets

Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement in...

27/01/2026

Pebble Adds Paul Nagle-Smith as VP of Customer Fulfillment

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Study: Top Reason for Cancelling Streaming Service Is Programming

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

U.K.'s Digital TV Group Taps Leslie Mackenzie as Chair

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Pinterest Bluesky Email...

27/01/2026

Amagi becomes the first cloud-native SaaS company offerin...

Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...

27/01/2026

Miri Technologies Launches V410 Live 4K Video Encoder-Dec...

Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...

27/01/2026

UML Tsongas Center Upgrades with Ikegami UHK-X600 Cameras

The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...