Google Cloud and Axiata Enterprise, the business-to-business unit of Axiata Group have joined hands to advance digitalizing economies across Asia.
The partnership will proceed in two phases. At first, Axiata’s digital telcos will offer Google Workspace to Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). The act will be part of its integrated information and communications technology (ICT) portfolio and solution bundles.
“Dialog in Sri Lanka will lead, with implementation scheduled for the second quarter of this year, followed by Celcom in Malaysia, XL in Indonesia, Robi in Bangladesh, Ncell in Nepal, and Smart in Cambodia by the second half of the year,” the two parties said in a joint statement.
Then in the second stage, Axiata’s digital telcos customers will use Google Cloud‘s core compute, storage, and networking capabilities. It will help to advance their existing infrastructures help in other transformation initiatives.
Axiata Enterprise chief executive officer (CEO) Dr. Gopi Kurup said both Axiata and Google Cloud had a shared vision of helping businesses digitalize and grow as they build greater resilience for the long haul.
“With nations increasingly stepping up on digitalization for economic recovery and growth, we stand at a critical juncture to support businesses, especially small and medium players in their efforts to adjust and adapt to the new digital norms for survival,” he said.
Google Cloud’s Growing Adoption
Indonesia-based XL Axiata has adopted Google’s Anthos to power its hybrid and multi-cloud computing in 2020. The telecom operator aims to take its 70% of workloads to the clouds in the next three years by 2024.
Besides, Malaysia’s Celcom Axiata is also using Google’s digital solutions to digitalize its payment gateway. The company is also planning to use Google Cloud’s AI tools to improve customer experience by building personalization and recommendation models.
Check out: Why do Telcos suffer a heavy revenue loss in COVID period?
Cloud Technology: A Game Changer
Meanwhile, managing director of Google Cloud in Southeast Asia Ruma Balasubramanian also shared his own excitement over the deal. He said, “To resource-strapped SMBs, cloud technology is a game-changer that enables them to compete with larger players in the market.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Axiata to accelerate the digital transformation of millions of small and medium businesses in the region, and help them identify and solve their business and technology-related challenges,” He further added.
Axiata is headed for an imminent merger with Norway’s Telenor ASA in a week’s time. Following the merger, the second and third largest telecom operators will combine the Malaysian telecom operations. Axiata’s new deal with Google Cloud will help them digitalize businesses and improve their customers’ service more efficiently.
Axiata’s partnership with Google Cloud will play a key role in transforming businesses digital. Helping small and medium businesses could be monumental to digitalize the economies in the region.
Axiata, being Nepali Telco Ncell‘s parent company, its collaborations with Google will certainly trickle the effects to Nepal as well. It can bring a whole lot of opportunities for Nepalese individuals and businesses. What do you make up of Axiata using Google cloud to help its customers to digitalize their economies? Let us know in the comments below.
