Sun Cellular wooing Malaysian partner

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Philippine’s smallest mobile operator Sun Cellular is wooing two Malaysian telephone companies in its search for a strategic partner here, a report said yesterday.

"Sun Cellular is looking for a partner to help it compete and grow its share in the Philippine market, which is dominated by two other players. They have put out feelers to some of the local telcos," the Edge financial weekly quoted an unnamed source as saying.

It said Sun Cellular, which is owned by the Philippine-listed Digital Telecommunications Inc., has approached state-controlled Telekom Malaysia and Malaysia’s top mobile operator, Maxis Communications.

Telekom Malaysia International, Telekom’s overseas investment arm, is said to be looking at a proposal for it to be Sun Cellular’s strategic partner, added the source.

Philippine mobile phone penetration is more than 40 percent.

The Philippine’s two dominant mobile players, Globe Telecommunications and Smart Communications account for as much as 96 percent of the market.

Sun Cellular has a market share of less than five percent, said the Edge.

Maxis, controlled by tycoon Ananda Krishnan, is Malaysia’s biggest telecommunications company providing voice and data services.

As of March 31, Maxis had 50,000 active 3G subscribers and some eight million users in total out of a population of some 26 mi