This article was originally published in the Brand Finance Malaysia 100 2025 report
CelcomDigi is forging ahead with a bold vision for Malaysia’s digital future, integrating AI, accelerating 5G innovation, and championing digital inclusion.
Datuk Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Officer of CelcomDigi, talks about the company’s journey beyond traditional telco services, and how it’s working to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and digitally empowered society.
Interview with Idham Nawawi
Chief Executive Officer,
CelcomDigi.
How do you see AI changing the future of network intelligence in Malaysia, and how does this give CelcomDigi an edge in the regional telco space?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily reshaping the way we operate our networks, and we see this as an opportunity to shift from being reactive, to proactive, and eventually, to predictive in how we manage the network and serve our customers.
We're learning how to use AI to anticipate and spot issues before they affect customers, whether it’s a buffering video call, a drop in social media performance or a roaming service dip. In fact, AI has helped us optimise performance across devices and platforms, understand customer needs in real time and predict satisfaction with almost 90% accuracy. When customers are roaming abroad, AI helps us detect and address service drops quickly. It also plays a key role in monitoring infrastructure health, like predicting battery degradation at sites, so we can act and minimise the risk of service disruptions.
AI lets us process huge volumes of data in real-time and make improvements with minimal manual intervention. We’re progressing toward a self-healing, adaptive networks, shifting our role to enablers of smarter, more responsive systems.
We know it’s a journey, but by partnering with right experts and learning from every implementation, we’re building a stronger, more secure and inclusive digital ecosystem for Malaysian businesses and consumers.
What has the integration journey looked like so far for Celcom and Digi? How are you ensuring the combined strengths of both brands create greater value for your customers?
As of end-March 2025, we’ve reached approximately 80% completion in our network integration and modernisation, with six states fully completed. Customers are now experiencing enhanced service quality on the enhanced CelcomDigi intelligent network, with average monthly data consumption rising to 35GB per user. These efforts continue to help us deliver the widest 4G/5G network in the country while meeting the growing demand for high-speed, quality, and reliable internet.
We’ve also been ramping up our IT consolidation activities—so far, we’ve integrated 28 out of more than 50 systems, and we’re targeting approximately 75% completion by year end. This will enable seamless, personalised digital experiences at scale and further strengthen our customer positioning.
Our retail transformation is also progressing, with over 50 new digital-concept stores launched, boosting sales and engagement. We’re now entering the next phase: transforming more than 300 exclusive partner stores. Once complete, we’ll have one of Malaysia’s largest branded retail chains for digital product distribution—well-positioned to support the evolving digital lifestyles of all Malaysians.
How is CelcomDigi embedding ESG values, particularly environmental responsibility and equitable access into its core operations whilst balancing commercial growth with purpose-led impact?
In 2024, we sharpened our ESG ambition with the launch of a 5-year strategy that embeds sustainability at the heart of CelcomDigi’s business. We’re guided by four key priorities: Inclusive and Safe Digital Access, Sustainable Value Chain, Governance and Performance Culture, and Environmental Impact and Action. This strategy is designed to advance sustainability efforts and promote trust as a cornerstone of building a digital society.
Our efforts to ensure equitable access are exemplified through our flagship S.A.F.E Internet programme, which has reached over 10 million Malaysians with vital awareness on scam prevention, digital safety, and responsible internet use. Through strategic partnerships with ministries, regulators, tech leaders, and academia, we’ve brought digital inclusion to life—especially for vulnerable communities. Our nationwide digital upskilling programmes, including Future Skills for All and CelcomDigi Young Innovators Programme, have equipped over 60,000 students and teachers with coding capabilities, and we’re expanding into emerging technologies like AI and drone robotics for underserved communities.
On environmental responsibility, we are modernising our network infrastructure to optimise energy consumption, consolidating sites, and deploying efficient technologies. We’re on a path to net-zero by 2050, with growing use of renewable energy and a digitalised environmental management platform to strengthen data transparency and drive smarter decisions.
Balancing commercial growth with impact means we stay competitive while building a more inclusive, sustainable and trusted digital society in Malaysia.
How is CelcomDigi moving beyond traditional telco offerings, and what’s your long-term vision for entering new areas like finance, wellness, or smart cities?
Core mobile connectivity remains an essential part of our business and a staple for long-term profitable growth. Beyond the core, our long-term vision is to be the catalyst for the nation’s transition into a 5G-AI enabled digital society.
We are doing this through the AI Experience Centre (AiX), an immersive innovation experience developed with over 40 global technology and local ecosystem partners. AiX showcases over 45 ready-to-deploy 5G and AI use cases across eight key industries including manufacturing, energy and logistics with several pilots already underway with Malaysian enterprises. Some of our early outcomes include:
- Finance: In partnership with Ericsson Aduna and PayNet, our GSMA Open API platform enables SIM-based authentication and device location checks to reduce fraud.
- Healthcare: Exploring 5G, AI, and XR for telemedicine and holomedicine with KPJ Healthcare and University Malaya Medical Centre
- Smart Cities: Collaborating with municipalities on traffic and safety solutions to enhance urban planning and quality of life
- Enterprise: Private 5G network adoption in oil & gas and port operations through ecosystem partnerships.
- IoT & Payments: In-house IoT fleet management and secure M2M-enabled digital payments.
CelcomDigi remains focused on scaling an innovation-led enterprise pipeline, leveraging on 5G, AI, cloud, and cybersecurity partnerships to deliver value beyond connectivity.
