M'sia's Telekom Cellular aims to be No 1 by 2005

"We will have in place a strategy which will enable us to reach there," Telekom Cellular chief executive officer Mohd Khir Harun said in a recent interview in The Star.

He also clarified why the company could not achieve the top spot when it stated similar intentions three years ago.

"Previously, only Telekom Cellular was thinking of becoming the lead player. We were also at the bottom of the learning curve then.

"Now, there is a concerted effort, the thinking is at a group level, that makes the difference," he pointed out.

He hinted the company has the financial resources as well as other key support in terms of human resources, infrastructure and support from sister companies, to help Telekom Cellular hit its target by 2005.

Khir said voice and data services would the key revenue earners in the near future, adding that any telecommuncation company banking solely on voice services would not survive.

"In the next two to three years, the business is going to be mobile data, portals and content. The growth opportunity is there and it is up to us to tap. It is a new business we are after," he added.

Telekom Cellular's TM Touch service has added 382,000 new subscribers in the first five months of this year, bringing its total subscriber base to 1.47 million.