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Celcom eyes one million broadband customers

KUALA LUMPUR: Celcom (M) Bhd is gearing up to double the number of its mobile broadband customers to one million next year.

Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly said Celcom had 475,000 mobile broadband customers as at Sept 30 and he was confident of breaching the 500,000 mark by year's end.

"It's our ambition to reach one million mobile broadband customers next year. That's our dream. If we fail ... don't scold us," Shazalli said at a media briefing yesterday.

He said selling broadband today was very tough in a highly competitive market but Celcom was playing catch-up now.

"Operators including Celcom will be under pressure next year as well given that we have to achieve the Government's target of having a 50% Internet penetration rate," he said, adding that mobile broadband would be the company's major focus next year.

Shazalli said Celcom was also monitoring closely its competitors' broadband campaigns. "There's potong-memotong, ciluk-menciluk promotions in the market. We're closely monitoring those campaigns."

He added that competition would also arise from incumbent Telekom Malaysia Bhd's high-speed broadband (HSBB) slated for launching next year.

"We will not be able to provide speed as good as (for) fixed line but we are targeting those on the move with reasonable access on the go," Shazalli said, adding that Celcom was "semi-proud" that it had the least number of complaints on its broadband service.

Year-on-year, Celcom's mobile broadband customer base has grown 165% from 179,000 in the first nine months of 2008.

For the third quarter ended Sept 30, Celcom added 55,000 new mobile subscribers.

On revenue contribution, mobile broadband rang up RM245mil in the first nine months against RM71mil in the same period a year earlier.

To a question, Shazalli said to further enhance its broadband services, Celcom would invest in its network and services support next year.

However, he did not disclose the amount of its investment. "We will announce it (investment) when we announce our headline key performance indicators with (parent company) Axiata Group Bhd," he added.

On its third-quarter performance, Shazalli said it was Celcom's 14 consecutive quarter of positive growth.

Celcom posted a record profit after tax and minority interest of RM404mil, a 10% growth quarter-on-quarter. Revenue grew 4% to RM1.6bil against RM1.54bil in the preceding quarter.

Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were up 5% to RM716mil from RM682mil posted in the second quarter.

Its total subscriber base surpassed the 10-million mark during the third quarter on a 5% growth over the preceding three months.

Celcom's postpaid segment average revenue per user (ARPU) in the third quarter dropped to RM94 from RM98 in the preceding quarter, while that for the prepaid segment was maintained at RM42. Blended ARPU was maintained at RM53.

On its lower ARPU, chief financial officer Chari TVT said the telco industry was also experiencing a downtrend.

"The downtrend is mainly due to the competitive landscape and the highly saturated market," he said.

Shazalli said Celcom expected to end the year as planned in the 2009 key performance indicators.

The Foreigh Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers - No 32. Anwar Ibrahim

32. Anwar Ibrahim

for challenging the Muslim world to embrace democracy.

Opposition leader | People's Justice Party | Malaysia

Two decades ago, it would have been impossible to imagine Anwar pulling together rural Malays, ethnic Indians and Chinese, and Islamists into a coherent political bloc. Back then, Anwar was deputy prime minister in a de facto single-party state that espoused preferential treatment for ethnic Malays. It was a policy that Anwar had pushed from his days as a youth leader right up until 1997, when he denounced his patron, then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, for corruption. He would spend the next six years in solitary confinement on trumped-up charges for that political betrayal. And he would leave jail in 2004 with a bold message for change in a country now at the forefront of the struggle for democracy in the Muslim world. Today, Anwar's political career is blossoming, despite a new, politically motivated indictment. Abroad, he has become an outspoken advocate of religious tolerance.

He sat down with Foreign Policy to talk about his big ideas:

On Muslim countries and the West: You can't just erase a period of imperialism and colonialism. You can't erase the fault lines, the bad policies, the failed policies, the war in Iraq, and support for dictators. That to me is the reality. But what is the problem? When you … apportion the blame only to the West or the United States. They want to deflect from the issue of repression, endemic corruption, and destruction of the institutions of governance.

On his time in prison: I spent a lot of time reading. I decided to focus on the great works and the classics. Friends from around the world were sending books, but it takes months for [the prison] to vet them. There came a book on the Green Revolution at that time. The officer said, "Anything revolution -- out!" even though it was about agriculture. But the books kept coming. The officers were not even graduates, and [the books] were in English. They would say, "Anwar, out of 10 books, can you send back one?" So I would select something I had already read or something I was not interested in and say, "We should reject this."

On politics: Of course, you simplify the arguments [for politics], but the central thesis remains constant. People say, "Anwar, you are opportunistic. How can you talk about Islam and the Quran here, and then you talk about Shakespeare and quote Jefferson or Edmund Burke?" I say, it depends on the audience. You can't talk about Edmund Burke in some remote village in Afghanistan. Then you go to Kuala Lumpur and you quote T.S. Eliot. If I quote the Quran all the time to a group of lawyers, [they will think] I am a mullah from somewhere!

- Foreign Policy

Dubai Debt Shocker: Quit bashing Dubai!

http://1426.blogspot.com

Dubai is still in the news all over the world. The debt amount was so huge at first, now it stands at $26 billion, not $80 billion as reported earlier.

Dubai World restructuring is for Nakheel and Limitless, others stable

Dubai World, Nakheel and Limitless are changing their structure and asking for talks on this debt, but the process does not include other subsidiaries Infinity World Holding, Istithmar World and Ports and Free Zone World (which includes DP World, Economic Zones World, P&O Ferries and Jebel Ali Free Zone), all of which are on a stable financial footing.

According to the report, almost nobody wanted to buy Dubai stock yesterday, an indication that investors fear more bad times before the market improves.

Quit bashing Dubai! Linda Heard | Arab News

Attacking Dubai has become fashionable in Western circles. British reporters and columnists, in particular, are sinking their teeth into the Emirate like dogs chomping on a juicy bone. The latest news that Dubai World seeks to restructure its debt involving a six-month payment delay has triggered a host of salivating media hounds baying for blood. A few days ago, hysterical headlines were predicting another global economic crash with banks worldwide falling like ninepins. Following the doom-laden onslaught, currencies have dipped and markets fallen. Countries, companies and individuals restructure their debts all the time. There has been no suggestion that Dubai World is about to go under or that it will leave its creditors high and dry. The fact is Dubai is getting back on its feet. It's true that it was more vulnerable to the global economic downturn than the rest of the Middle East but the crisis itself was not of its own doing. Even the finest financial brains were unable to foresee the US subprime crisis that spurred the global meltdown. Yet, according to an article in the Sunday Times a few days ago titled "Dubai needs to stop the contagion fast", "Dubai is a monument to the excesses that gave us this global financial crisis". There's just one problem with that. The crisis resulted from greedy US mortgage lenders, unscrupulous financial houses and dodgy credit ratings agencies. Just in case my colleagues in the British media are too busy dreaming up new slanderous tidbits for their next bash-Dubai installment to think objectively, it's worthwhile stressing that the emirate doesn't stand alone. It is an integral part of the United Arab Emirates, which, overall is doing very nicely. Just a day before the Dubai World announcement, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was impressed by "the quick recovery made by the UAE economy and the measures made by the leadership..." There is absolutely no way that the federal government in Abu Dhabi would throw Dubai to the wolves, for if it did, the whole country would be dragged down with it; perhaps even the region. To prove the point, the country's Central Bank has moved to guarantee Dubai's debts while more liquidity is being pumped into Dubai banks. Some pundits are peering into their crystal balls to prophecy a quid pro quo situation whereby Dubai will end up having to hand its airline Emirates or other major Dubai-owned companies to Abu Dhabi. That, too, is an unlikely scenario because the two emirates are linked by more than money. They have ties of blood and marriage as well as a shared history. Thirty-eight years ago, on Dec. 2, 1971, the UAE was founded. Cementing the seven emirates that make up the UAE was no easy task for its founders, but they did it against all odds. Western predictions that the fledgling country would collapse due to infighting came to naught, just like today's gloomy forecasts will. What Dubai's rulers have achieved in less than four decades is nothing short of incredible. I know firsthand. My first visit there was in 1975 when it was mostly sand interspersed with a few roads, a hospital, some schools and souks around the Creek. Its only recognizable landmark was the Dubai Clocktower. Its only five-star hotel was the newly-built Intercontinental. At that time, few outsiders had even heard of the place, whereas, today, it fills miles of column inches each year. The fact that it has gained such prominence in such a short time is worth applauding, even if, over the past year or so much of it has been negative. TAKE The Observer, for instance. During last Sunday alone, it has published a veritable slew of vitriolic articles centered on Dubai. In one day, there was "As Dubai crashes from wonder to blunder, who will go down with it?" "Dubai's property bonanza just wasn't built to last" and "Dubai: Bling City is dead but the desert dream lives on". What is it with these writers? Haven't they got anywhere else to moan on about? If making their readers depressed is their thing, they could always tour some of Britain's crime/drug/yob-ridden housing estates or mosey on over to America's mushrooming tent cities. Why all this focus on Dubai? In a word: Envy. Dubai's tax-free, sunshine-filled, glamorous lifestyle is the stuff of dreams for British commuters slogging away struggling to pay their mortgages and bills with Saturday night out down the pub the highlight of their week. Then there are those who cannot stomach the fact that an Arab country, a Muslim country, has created a Utopia in the desert, and, worse, set itself up as a benchmark of excellence. If it consisted of clusters of thatched-roof huts with a luxury tourist resort or two, they would be saying how wonderfully picturesque it was. Then they could wander around, buy a few trinkets, throw a few coins to smiling kids and feel oh so superior. Dubai isn't humble enough for them. That's my take and I'm sticking to it. Johann Hari of The Independent has gone so far as to call Dubai "a sinister mirage in the desert". Oh please! He just cannot help envy seeping out of his every phrase. He is obviously offended at what he calls "bragging Emiratis" and Westerners who love Dubai because they have "domestic slaves to do all the hard work". In all my 14 years living and working in Dubai, I never came across a single "slave" or the "chain gangs" he mentions. The people I met there from all over the world chose to come to Dubai because they could earn money to send to their families and, once they had managed to save a nest egg, they often returned home. Would Hari dare refer to the Latino domestics in places like Florida or California as "slaves"? Indeed, there are plenty of real slaves on his doorstep in the UK, where thousands of young women from Eastern Europe have been trafficked under the pretext of becoming au pairs or cleaners. Once it gets over this minor financial setback Dubai will shine even brighter. And to those who get paid for wishing it ill at every opportunity there will be only one thing to say: "Get over it!" - sierra12th@yahoo.co.uk

Omar Ong appointed Petronas non-exec director

PETALING JAYA: Omar Mustapha Ong (pic) of Ethos & Co has received his letter from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to join Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) as independent, non-executive director.

It is learnt that he will be attending his first board meeting possibly today.This ends months of speculation and controversial reports over his appointment which has drawn flak from the current board members of Petronas and even former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad.

In the midst of all the contentious reports, Omar's previous unpaid (which he subsequently paid) Petronas scholarship and non-completion of the number of years of service required, was highlighted.

Omar Mustapha Ong

A news report yesterday said there was some misunderstanding over the matter as Omar had offered to pay in full but his offer had been somehow "overlooked or ignored'' by Petronas.

Then, there was an issue with his age. At 38, Omar is the co-founder of his seven-year-old management and strategic consulting firm, which many have likened to the Malaysian version of McKinsey & Co.

Omar, an Oxford graduate and Eisenhower fellow, becomes the second independent, non-executive director at Petronas after Abdul Kadir Md Kassim, an advocate and solicitor.Previously, Tun Zaki Azmi – who is the current Chief Justice – was an independent, non-executive director before his appointment as president of the Court of Appeals in December 2007.

The Petronas board has been operating quite independently for some time; however, corporate governance experts reckon the time for change could be near.

The board currently comprises Tan Sri Hassan Marican as acting chairman and CEO; three senior government representatives who are non-independent and non-executive directors; and three vice-presidents who are executive directors.

The new trend in corporate governance is for the appointment of more independent directors while only the CEO and possibly the chief financial officer may be executive directors.

Generally, it would be a third of each category of directors with the number of executive directors in the minority. Boards are also aiming for greater diversity in terms of background, experience and expertise, while looking for ways to refresh and reinvent themselves.

Another trend involves the separation of the post of chairman and CEO, which in the last five years since the demise of the late Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin, has been held by one person.

When Hassan, as vice-president of finance, was appointed to the board, he was 36 and, therefore, younger than Omar. Blogs have lambasted Omar's appointment, questioning if this was the beginning of the politicisation of the board which once had Zaki, former Umno legal adviser, as director.

The fact that Omar was a former aide to Najib when he was deputy prime minister, has added zing to the conjectures. The fact of the matter is, observers say, Omar appears to have the trust and respect of Najib who has the final say in Petronas board appointments.

Omar is the son of Mustapha Ong, a former private secretary of long-time information minister Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat. He worked at Petronas, Multimedia Development Corp and McKinsey before co-founding Ethos. – By Yap Leng Kuen

United over ‘dodol’

MALACCA: A decade-old tradition of making dodol continued when more than 100 villagers gathered to make the local sweet coconut toffee.

The villagers from Kampung Panchur and Masjid Tanah got together yesterday for the day-long event that is held during Ramadan every year.

Sweet treat: Over 100 villagers from Kampung Panchur in Masjid Tanah, Melaka, took part in a gotong-royong yesterday to help make dodol, a local coconut toffee treat usually served during Hari Raya festivities.

Village head Baharuddin Abu Bakar, 40, said dodol is a must for the Hari Raya festivities.

“It takes a lot of efforts to make dodol and nowadays most people choose to buy ready-made ones instead.

“So we started the event here 10 years ago to help preserve the tradition of making dodol among the younger generation,” he said.

About RM7,000 was collected to buy over 300 grated coconuts, 80kg of flour, 70kg of gula Melaka (brown coconut sugar) and 30kg of sugar to make over 200kg of dodol.

“It is a laborious and time consuming effort but the hard work is made easier if done collectively,” he added.

He said the dodol would be shared among the neighbours and this fostered unity, especially in the fasting month.

Baharuddin said he was happy that the tradition was being kept alive at his village, adding that most youths nowadays have forgotten the significance of the gotong-royong as a means of helping one another.