KUALA LUMPUR: Celcom Axiata Bhd has accelerated capital expenditure (capex) of RM825mil to enable 250 new network sites built and 8,000 sites optimised with improved 4G coverage and capacity across the country.

       “Celcom’s network investments have rapidly increased 4G LTE pop coverage especially in Sabah, Pahang, Terengganu, Sarawak, Negeri Sembilan and Kedah, over the past nine months,” Celcom said in a statement Thursday.

       Celcom said it had achieved an average of more than 94% LTE population coverage nationwide with nine states at 98% population coverage or higher.

       Celcom’s network currently caters to over 14 million users, including mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) users.

       Chief executive officer Datuk Idham Nawawi said Celcom is modernising its network with the latest network technology, including the eight transmit and eight receive antenna elements (8T8R) RAN technology that would significantly improve mobile capacity and user experience.

       “Our network improvements also include the cessation of 3G services which will enable us to allocate more network and spectrum resources to 4G LTE, making our network ready for 5G,” he added.

       “Our continuous focus on operational cost management has enabled positive cost savings whilst maintaining profitability.

       “With an encouraging subscriber growth, including user growth from MVNOs, Celcom’s cost-saving initiatives do not affect or burden our customers, but enable us to offer more innovative products and services at affordable prices, especially in the enterprise market,” Idham said.