U Mobile Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck (left) and chief marketing officer Navin Manian at the mobile network operator's flagship store launch at Sunway Pyramid, its largest store to date.
PETALING JAYA: U Mobile Sdn Bhd, which won the rights to implement Malaysia’s second 5G network last November, is embarking on an aggressive expansion plan, focusing on enhancing its retail footprint and complementing its growing suite of services.
Over the past few years, the company has diversified its offerings by introducing home broadband services and enterprise solutions, in addition to its established prepaid and postpaid services.
While prepaid remains the mobile network operator’s (MNO) bread and butter, its chief marketing officer Navin Manian said U Mobile was now placing greater focus on postpaid plans, home broadband services and enterprise solutions, leveraging on its 5G network connectivity.
“With our ever-growing suite of products and services, we understand the need to be present across Malaysia,” Navin said at the opening of the company’s largest flagship store in Sunway Pyramid on Jan 24.
“Historically, we were very focused on the youth segment and prepaid, which required a specific type of sales channel.
“In the last two to three years, we’ve focused on postpaid devices and expanded our portfolio to broadband and enterprise solutions. For that, we believe we need our fully-operated stores.”
However, Navin was tight-lipped in regard to the capital expenditure for its expansion plans.
U Mobile’s latest flagship store, spanning over 3,500 sq ft, brings the total number of fully owned and operated stores to 14, with two designated as flagship outlets – the first being at Berjaya Times Square.
This is complemented by U Mobile’s extensive network of dealer-operated stores, which number in the thousands, ensuring broad reach across Malaysia.
In 2024, Navin said the MNO opened three new stores, including at IOI City Mall Putrajaya in late November, Kota Kinabalu in the second quarter and Kuching in the third quarter.
“Rest assured, over the course of the next one to two years, we will be aggressively rolling out more retail experience stores like this across Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
In addition to opening new stores, U Mobile plans to upgrade its existing outlets to enhance the overall retail experience.
“Even with our existing stores, we’re going to be putting a lot of resources into upgrading the look and feel, as well as the retail experience,” he added.
In November 2024, U Mobile was chosen to implement Malaysia’s second 5G network, marking a shift for the nation from a single wholesale network to a dual-network model after years of debate.
U Mobile chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun expressed confidence that the company could roll out the second 5G network within 15 to 18 months without requiring government funding or local partners.
This assurance came amid analyst concerns, including those from Hong Leong Investment Bank Research and Kenanga Research, that U Mobile might face challenges in handling the rollout independently.
Tan also ruled out local partnerships, stating that the company is exploring collaborations with Chinese telecommunications suppliers like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp.
He also noted plans to list U Mobile on Bursa Malaysia by the end of 2025, reviving its long-delayed initial public offering.
U Mobile currently serves a subscriber base of more than nine million customers.
