CTM profits hold stable as revenue, investments grow

Macau telecommunications company CTM yesterday presented an overview of its business performance of 2018, indicating that its profits last year of MOP941 million held at the same level as in 2017.

CTM’s revenue grew in 2018 on account of growth in the Macau economy and elevating consumer interest in new products offered by the firm. At the same time, various network infrastructure projects were completed and put into operation, including enhancements to the fiber-optic network and 4G+ mobile network, an expansion of CTM’s Wi- Fi hotspot coverage, the opening of a software development center in Zhuhai and a data center in Hong Kong.

At the end of 2018, CTM’s 4G+ users and fiber-optic users had reached 930,000 and 150,000 respectively. There were over 2,700 free CTM Wi-Fi hotspots covering various districts, bus routes and TurboJET Ferries travelling between Hong Kong and Macau, enabling more than 40 million connections and some 4 million GB of data transferred.

Under the slogan of “Digital Macau 2.0”, the telecommunications firm unveiled yesterday plans for a 5G rollout in Macau which, subject to approval by Macau authorities, will allow for high-quality real-time monitoring of Macau’s roads. According to representatives of the company, the technology might be used for both security and transportation purposes.

By the end of this year, CTM expects its first customers to begin surfing the internet on the latest generation of Wi-Fi, significantly faster than its predecessor iterations.

There are also plans underway to utilize other new technologies showcased at yesterday’s event, including high- speed wireless transmission virtual reality equipment, network security solutions and the Internet of Things applications.

Company CEO Vandy Poon said that “Digital Macau 2.0” was not a mere upgrade of existing equipment, but the implementation of a broader and deeper vision.

Two collaboration agreements were signed by CTM during yesterday’s event. An agreement with the University of Macau will facilitate cooperation on the research and development of 5G mobile technology, while another, signed with Benefit Vantage Ltd, a service provider on network security and data backup based in Hong Kong, will seek to introduce mobile authentication technology to Macau, making online payments safer and easier. DB