AS technology changes, so do businesses, and in a saturated economy like today’s, staying connected is more important than ever.
For a provider like U Mobile Sdn Bhd, the changes are even more obvious and that is something its chief business officer How Lih Ren plans to address.
“Enterprise connectivity is evolving,” he quips. “It’s not just about speed, data or even coverage.”
He explains that businesses need technology to help them solve problems, adapt to change and pursue growth. “To get ahead in any business today, companies have to integrate technology, as that has become an indispensable proponent today.”
Be it a simple payment transaction of purchasing a thing using a QR code to something as complex as processing and managing vast amounts of information within large data centres.
Central to this is How, who after joining the company last year, revealed to The Star his vision of redefining his customers’ perception of connectivity, from a single, interchangeable commodity to one that can help to reframe the idea of connectivity for its consumers.
“We are looking at providing more comprehensive solutions, starting with first understanding each individual customer’s distinct challenges, and then bringing together reliable infrastructure, resilient networks and specialised technology partners to forge tailored enterprise solutions,” he says.
This approach stems from the reality that businesses have vastly different operational requirements. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), high-street retailers, heavy manufacturers, financial institutions and high-tech companies each operate under unique constraints. Consequently, a one-size-fits-all, product-led approach is inherently ineffective.
How is particularly focused on ensuring technology becomes far more accessible to the broader market.
“SMEs frequently struggle with limited resources and a lack of dedicated in-house technical expertise. With U Business, we aim to assist SMEs in bridging this gap, by simplifying advanced technology, stripping away friction and making modern digital tools much easier to adopt,” he explains.
Tailored for all businesses from SMEs to large-scale enterprises, U Business – the enterprise arm of U Mobile – transforms how organisations stay connected, enabling them to operate with confidence in an increasingly digital landscape. Its ULTRA Business mobile plans are designed to deliver greater assurance and performance.
It also features ULTRA5G Reserve, which offers enterprise-grade connectivity through dedicated network priority. These solutions aim to empower businesses with the reliability and control they need.
With the capacity of being Malaysia’s fastest 5G Network – a recognition made by Ookla recently – U Mobile continues rolling out the country’s second independent 5G network. Branded as ULTRA5G, this next-generation network is aimed at meeting the evolving connectivity needs of consumers and enterprises.
To support these ambitions, U Business has systematically strengthened its enterprise offering by expanding its portfolio to include flexible mobile and multi-line connectivity, 5G business broadband, integrated point-of-sale solutions and dedicated enterprise connectivity delivered through ULTRA5G Reserve.
With the support of the technology, the telco’s core focus remains squarely on business outcomes, as U Business aims to help enterprises improve growth, boost profitability and achieve sustainability goals, all while reducing the operational complexity of managing technology.
Central to How’s philosophy is the belief that trust and long-term partnerships matter far more than quick sales. “Enterprise relationships should go well beyond one-off transactions,” he maintains.
With that, one should notice that his leadership role has shifted alongside this philosophy. Where he was more enthusiastic in business performance two years ago, he has come to recognise that business sustainability is just as crucial.
This is where U Business steps in to provide a role of a pragmatic and trusted adviser – one that is capable of anticipating operational risks and recommending practical solutions long before a crisis occurs. This supportive role is equally important as clients look to scale their operations.
“We designed U Business to prepare companies for growth, offering dedicated connectivity and robust international roaming support across more than 60 destinations,” says How. “This infrastructure enables expanding businesses to maintain consistent, reliable network performance across borders.”
Driving this commercial strategy is an internal culture designed to foster continuous innovation.
He encourages an environment that is like a ‘safety net’, where businesses can experiment with different ways to optimise their product offerings.
“U Business allows proprietors to take ownership and individualise their offerings as much as they like. We recognise the rapid technological change means having a quick turnaround time, hence we planned our business package with the ability to tap into the business owners’ initiative, curiosity and continuous learning.”
He also firmly believes that diverse teams produce vastly stronger solutions. By bringing together differences in thinking, gender, age and cultural background, the enterprise division sharpens its overall critical thinking, enabling teams to develop unconventional solutions to complex corporate challenges.
Ultimately, How Lih Ren’s overarching mission is to reposition connectivity as a foundational right. By establishing reliable, accessible and tailored technology as a standard, U Business enables enterprises to confidently adopt digital transformation, adapt to changing markets and remain fiercely competitive.
“We should focus on making technology more affordable and easier for people to adopt. More importantly, we need to build trust with our enterprise customers so that our relationship goes beyond a one-off transaction and becomes a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership,” he says.
