Celcom teams up with Microsoft to embrace digital way of working in the 5G era

• Aims accelerate the country’s digital transformation, reimagine the future of work
• Celcom-Microsoft Innovation Centre to improve Celcom’s customers’ journey in 5G era

CELCOM Axiata Bhd and Microsoft (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration between both parties to accelerate their shift to Cloud and re-imagine their work culture to better suit the digital needs for the upcoming 5G era.

The MoU was exchanged during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Celcom Axiata chief executive officer Idham Nawawi and Microsoft Asia Pacific Sales, Marketing and Operations vice president Alberto Granados came together to mark the occasion.

Celcom currently houses Axiata Group’s Internet of Things (IoT) Centre of Excellence, where Microsoft solutions will be adopted to assist in the delivery of customer-centric solutions, improving Celcom’s customers’ journey in near-future 5G era. The centre also aims to create a culture of innovation and continuous learning at Celcom.

Microsoft Teams and Yammer will be jointly deployed at @celcom, creating a modern workplace to improve productivity, efficiency and employee collaboration. This platform modernisation will create a technology ecosystem for Celcom, which is intelligent, cost-optimised and flexible.

Celcom will also be supported by Microsoft technology programmes that will develop new skills focusing on Cloud and Security. Celcom employees will be trained with skills in Cloud services like Microsoft 365 and Windows to digitally transform and propel businesses.

“At Celcom, we believe in enhancing and improving our customer experience by leveraging on modern technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud,” said Idham.

“Equally important to us is developing the skills of our workforce at Celcom and through this collaboration with Microsoft, we aim to continue building on digital skills that will help propel our business further as we move into the 5G space.

“We are working with our partners and the government to bring 5G to Malaysian shores in the near future. As we were the first to launch Malaysia’s 5G trial in May 2017, we will be showcasing our innovative 5G products and services very soon,” Idham said.

Celcom’s collaboration with Microsoft is part of a long-term relationship between the two companies. In 2018 they developed Asia’s first customer service in the Cloud; Clive and Emma, Celcom’s Intelligent Virtual Agents.

It brought together Microsoft’s AI and Machine Learning technologies, transaction capabilities and personalities for 24x7 customer interaction and inquiries.

“Having advanced our business in the field of AI, we are now setting our sights on optimising our business performance through the use of Cloud technology. As our customers get more tech savvy, so should we,” added Idham.

“AI, machine learning, robotics, internet of things and the cloud are changing our lives and shaping future generations. By leveraging our worldwide reach, strong local presence and an extensive network of partners, we aim to empower Celcom on their cloud modernization transformation, said Granados.

“Having worked together with Celcom on the development of the Virtual Customer Service Agents - Clive and Emma, we are thrilled once again to be part of their digital transformation journey through skills training, the Innovation Centre and a cloud enabled modern workplace.”

Both companies previously signed a strategic MoU in June 2018, that comprised of; Using of Emerging Technologies, Joint Go-To-Market for Small Medium Businesses, Modern Workplace Solutions, and Joint Recruiting Activities.