Smart Axiata wins Telecom Asia Best Emerging Market Operator Award
Singapore, 27th June 2018: Smart Axiata, Cambodia’s leading mobile telecommunications company, was named Best Emerging Market Operator by Telecom Asia yesterday. Smart Axiata CFO Kanishka Wickrama received the award on the company’s behalf during the Gala Awards Night at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore.
Smart was selected as the winner from a shortlist that included mobile operators in Malaysia, India, Philippines and Indonesia. Telenor Myanmar won last year’s Best Emerging Market Operator award.
The Telecom Asia Awards is the region’s longest-running and most prestigious telecom industry awards. Now in its 21st year, it recognizes innovative and outstanding performance by Asian service providers and industry executives. The selection is made by independent industry experts who cast votes based on innovation, financial performance, technology, market leadership and corporate governance.
“Smart Axiata has proven to be the fastest growing mobile service provider in the emerging markets of the APAC region. Being the leader in a challenging market with very strong competition, Smart was successful in achieving positive financial, market and subscriber growth while strengthening its mobile data leadership and position as an innovative ecosystem enabler through various products as well as campaigns. As the industry is entering the digital era, Smart has also started to redefine the industry through various digitization initiatives. In general, it was an exemplary year for Smart Axiata,” said Allan Tan, regional content and strategy director, Questex Asia Ltd.
Smart Axiata CEO Thomas Hundt welcomed the award as a strong acknowledgement of Smart’s financial and market success in bringing advanced mobile connectivity as well as a broad range of service offerings to millions of subscribers in Cambodia.
“Being recognized as the Best Emerging Market Operator in the region is certainly a proud moment for Smart and for Cambodia. All of our employees constantly strive to serve our beloved subscribers, partners and stakeholders at best and most effectively through affordable, innovative, simple and high-quality lifestyle offerings,” Thomas said.
“Smart has continuously proven to be a long-term investor and a key development partner in the ICT sector. Rest assured that we will remain committed in delivering our promise of enriching the lives of all Cambodians through world-class networks, exceptional digital experiences and significant corporate social responsibility engagements along our journey towards becoming Cambodia’s Digital Champion by 2020,” Thomas added.
Smart has a long history of winning awards that recognize performance excellence and innovation in telecommunications as well as in corporate social responsibility and governance.
Smart was recently recognized with a Gold Award for Tax Compliance by Cambodia’s General Department of Taxation which lauded Smart, the first ever mobile operator to receive the award, for meeting its tax obligations under Cambodian law. Early this year, the company also bagged the Best Telecommunications Company Cambodia and Best CSR Company Cambodia Awards by Global Banking and Finance Review for the fourth year in a row.
Smart also received the Asia Pacific Emerging Market Award by Frost and Sullivan in 2015 and was named the Cambodia Mobile Service Provider of the years 2016 and 2017 by Frost and Sullivan.