edotco Group Sdn. Bhd. (edotco) has announced the appointment of Abdul Aziz — the former CEO of Ufone — as the new Country Managing Director of edotco Pakistan. Mr. Aziz will be replacing Mr. Arif Hussain, who will be leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities.
“Pakistan has been and will continue to be a key emerging market for edotco. With our broad portfolio of infrastructure offerings alongside the country’s exponential digital growth, we are constantly uncovering new and improved ways to boost its connectivity capabilities, further ensuring the people of Pakistan have greater access to reliable and affordable connectivity”, said Adlan Tajudin, CEO of edotco Group.
Adhlan said that with around 2,000 tenancies across edotco’s towers, the company is currently connecting over 30 million people in Pakistan.
“Through Abdul Aziz’s appointment, we are set to drive our commitment to building our business in the country and partnering with the nation even further. With his valuable expertise, great track record and extensive experience of over 25 years in the telecommunications sector, Abdul Aziz will lead our team in contributing towards achieving the government’s Digital Pakistan ambitions. On behalf of the Group, I am pleased to welcome him onboard,” the CEO of edotco group further said.
edotco’s end-to-end offerings in Pakistan includes the building and deployment of telecommunication towers; the leasing of towers and poles to network operators; the deployment of street furniture; provision of power; and field operations for telecom operators, among others.
In extension to this, from 2020 and beyond, the company will be placing an increased focus on fibre, small cells, edge computing and rural networks – components that will be a key driver for hyperconnected Pakistan.
While edotco continues to advance the state of connectivity in the country, this move is also in line with the Group’s commitment to upskilling and developing the expertise of its local talent through selected leadership changes.
Since its inception in 2014, edotco Pakistan has invested approximately USD 200 million in its local operations. In addition to that, last year, the company also signed investments of up to USD80 million, a fraction of the USD 250 million it intends to invest in Pakistan over the next five years. This came amidst increased bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Pakistan where the telecommunications sector is a key focus area for both governments.
To date, edotco’s business in Pakistan has grown to approximately 1,750 towers manages and operated and 5,000 energy sites. It has a consolidated workforce of approximately 1,600 employees and offices in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.
