One of the region’s leading telecommunication organizations, Axiata Group - owners of Smart Axiata - strengthened relations with Cambodia when its bosses visited the nation to reaffirm the group’s commitment to the country and boost strategic partnerships.

Axiata Group’s Chairman Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan and Joint Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Hans Wijayasuriya landed in the country last week to drive progress and tighten partnerships.

One of Asia’s largest telecommunications groups, Axiata Group is currently overseeing companies with more than 150 million subscribers across 11 countries in ASEAN and South Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Pakistan.

In the pursuit of becoming the “Next Generation Digital Champion”, Axiata Group has transformed itself from a regional mobile communications leader into a group of companies that furthers digital growth and innovation by focusing on three key pillars: Digital Telco, Digital Businesses, and Infrastructure.

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During their visit to Cambodia, Axiata Group’s representatives also paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, with Smart Axiata’s newly-appointed CEO Ziad Shatara and the company’s principal advisor Feiruz Ikhwan.

The attendees noted the joint effort of the Royal Government of Cambodia and Smart Axiata in pushing the Kingdom’s ICT development and economic growth. Additionally, they agreed to continue strengthening and expanding their relationship to attract more investment for technological and infrastructural advancement, which is particularly important as Smart prepares for the implementation of ultra-fast gigabit broadband internet and 5G network roll-out in the Kingdom.

Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan expressed his delight at the strong partnership that Smart Axiata has built with the Cambodian government.

“Guided by our mission of Advancing Asia, together with our operating companies, we strive to facilitate digital inclusion through the provision of connectivity and solutions. With an aspiration to create a sustainable and lasting impact on people and communities across Asia, we have built a company that cares for those we serve. We are extremely proud to be a part of nation-building success stories,” Tan Sri Shahril Ridza said.

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“We are incredibly thankful for the strong collaboration we have with various ministerial partners and stakeholders, especially with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, as we look to have a greater and wider impact on society.”

The visit also included an in-person town hall meeting with Smart’s senior leadership team. During the event, Ziad spoke about the company’s dedication to sustainability and its focus on the future.

“Without a doubt, Smart has always worked tirelessly to create value and bring about a sustainable future for everyone. Sustainability has always been at the heart of our business, and with our vision to become Cambodia’s digital champion, we will continue to look for opportunities to offer improvement, innovation and value to our customers,” he said.

“With support from Axiata Group, strong collaboration with our ministerial partners and stakeholders and our dynamic, high-performance team, I am confident that we will take Smart Axiata to another level of success in our journey from good to great.”

As the leading telecommunications company in Cambodia, Smart Axiata was the first mobile operator in the country to provide 4G services. Smart’s 4G LTE, providing the fastest mobile internet in Cambodia, is now available across all 25 provinces, and the company was also the first in the Kingdom to trial 5G back in 2019.

In 2021, Smart Axiata contributed more than $660 million to public finances, including its annual contribution to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to improve telecommunication infrastructure and digital inclusivity, as well as to the Capacity Building, Research and Development Fund (CBRD) to implement capacity-building and digital literacy programs.

Smart Axiata Co., Ltd. currently serves 7.5 million subscribers under the 'Smart' brand. Smart Axiata is part of Axiata Group Berhad, one of Asia’s largest telecommunications groups.

Its extensive nationwide network coverage stretches to 99 percent of the Cambodian population. The company is also rapidly transforming itself into a digital lifestyle brand, having introduced many innovative offerings and lifestyle entertainment value propositions.

This includes various international brand partnerships with Universal Music, Apple and Facebook, as well as digital services including Smart Insurance, SmartPay, Pleng by Smart, Pi Pay and SmartNas. Smart aspires to be the #1 and most loved communication tech brand in Cambodia, while having a strong corporate social responsibility and sustainability agenda for national socio-economic growth.

The company's workforce consists of more than 1,000 local and foreign experts striving towards a common mission of connecting and making lives better. [Partnered Content]