Telekom Malaysia's group CEO Dato' Abdul Wahid Omar (left) receives the Service Provider of the Year Award from Aroop Zutshi, Frost & Sullivan senior partner and member of the board
Malaysia's incumbent operator, Telekom Malaysia, was named Service Provider of the Year in the awards, a selection that underscored the rising strength of new recipients in the annual regional competition, which in the past has been dominated by firms in Japan, Korea, Greater China and South Asia.
Malaysia mobile operator DiGi was named Wireless Service Provider of the Year, as it successfully gained market share from larger service providers in its local market. This year marked the first time that a Malaysian company has received recognition in the competition.
In one of the most hotly contested categories, China Mobile's Wang Jian Zhou was selected CEO of the Year: Service Provider for his leadership in continuing to drive the world's largest mobile operator's user base, revenue growth and services. Last year revenue grew 21.5% while EBITDA margin rose to 54%.
Other first-time telecom winners included Orange Business Services (Hong Kong) for Data Communications Service Provider of the Year, ZTE (China) for Most Promising Vendor of the Year, Asia Satellite Telecommunications (Hong Kong) for Satellite Communications Service Provider of the Year, Clarity (Australia) for Telecom OSS Vendor of the Year and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore for Outstanding Contribution to Industry Development.
NTT Group captured the Broadband Service Provider of the Year. Not only did it NTT increase its broadband market share from 37.9% to 42.1%, the operator reported big gains in revenue and subs in 2006 - broadband revenue jumped 39%, broadband subs increased 28% to 10.8 million and broadband ARPU rose 22% to $45.30.
Held for the fourth consecutive year, the Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards are presented annually to recognize companies and individuals that have demonstrated best practices in the industry and have risen above competitors and pushed the boundaries of excellence.
The 21 telecom awards were offered in three broad categories: vendors, service providers and "Best of the Best." Award recipients were selected after a rigorous process that involved a team of 30 Frost & Sullivan analysts and a panel of independent judges.
Awards are based upon measurable performance by companies in the Asian market. Factors evaluated included revenue growth; market share and market share growth; leadership in new product introduction and innovation; breadth of products and solutions; major customer acquisitions, subscriber growth; and business market strategy.
Nitin Bhat, Asia-Pacific VP for the ICT Practice at Frost & Sullivan, said the region's strong economic growth played a role in the rise of the new winners. "Stronger economic fundamentals, intense competition and the realization of the scale and scope of ICT adoption has led to a phenomenal year in terms of growth in 2006. While the industry leaders were able to strengthen their position in many markets, emerging companies stole the thunder by employing innovative business models."