Page 38 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

e& International and Circles Form a Joint Venture to Provide Best-In-Class
Digital Telco Experiences

e& international announced that it has will enhance e& international’s position to innovate and deliver next-generation
entered into a strategic partnership with as a pioneer in bringing broad-spectrum services to meet the demands of digital
Circles, a global technology company, to technologies to the region, as it will benefit native subscribers. At e&, we have doubled
bring best-in-class digital experiences to from Circles’ digital expertise and global down on our efforts to surpass customer
customers across its operating markets operations across 13 Asia Pacific and expectations by ensuring we make our
and beyond. e& International, part of European markets, bringing the best in services accessible anywhere, at any time,
e&, that is responsible for growing the digital solutions to e&’s footprint across 16 and from any device. To make this possible,
international portfolio of world-class markets and beyond. It will also leverage we have worked tirelessly on enhancing
modern digital telcos, has formed a Circles’ cloud-native, digital SaaS platform the digital journey of our customers.
joint venture with Circles to empower its called Circles X, which allows MNOs to Through our transformation from a reputed
network of Mobile Network Operators deploy digital telco brands from anywhere telco giant to a global technology and
(MNOs) and other operators based in the in the world and unlocks an agile digital- investment group, we are confident that
region to launch digital telco brands that first revenue growth engine, at a fraction we will continue to enhance our customers'
deliver delightful digital experiences for the of the operating cost by a traditional telco. digital journey according to their needs.
digitally savvy generation. Circles is a global Built for operators by an operator, Circles Our partnership with Circles is solid proof
technology company that’s reimagining X empowers MNOs to drive seamless of our commitment to heralding a new
the telco industry with its SaaS platform, and personalized digital experiences, thus digital era, one that is filled with limitless
Circles X, and helping operators launch achieving a net-promoter-score (NPS) that possibilities where we can collaborate
and operate successful digital brands. is higher than industry standards. This and accomplish more for a brighter, digital
Having pioneered a successful blueprint partnership is in line with e&'s transformation future." "We are delighted to embark on this
for disrupting the telco space in Singapore, journey into a global technology group as journey with a partner like e&, who shares
Circles has since launched its own digital announced last year, which is backed by our common vision of an empowered
telco, Circles. Life, in partnership with its ambitious strategy to accelerate growth digital future. Our Circles X technology
M1 in Singapore, Chunghwa in Taiwan through its specialist business verticals. demonstrates our continuous commitment
and Optus in Australia. Circles has also It provides e& with the world-class digital to help the MNOs connect with the digitally
partnered with other national MNOs such capabilities to grow the telco business as savvy generation and deliver the delightful
as XL Axiata in Indonesia to launch Live. On well as adjacent digital businesses with digital experiences that they want and
and KDDI Corporation in Japan to launch cutting edge customer experience. Mikhail need. Our operator and digital expertise
POVO 2, enabling them to accelerate Gerchuk, CEO, e& international said: "As from powering successful digital telcos
growth and capture market share within the world becomes increasingly digital, allows us to transfer our knowledge and
a short period of time. The agreement it’s more important than ever for telcos experience to our partnership with e&. We
look forward to deepening our partnership
with e& to accelerate digital transformation
across their markets," said Rameez Ansar,
CEO & Co-Founder of Circles. John McEvoy
is appointed as the CEO of the joint venture.
He said: “Our joint venture will enable
us to leverage their expertise in digital
technologies and our own strengths in
telecom to deliver cutting-edge solutions
to meet the evolving needs of the global
mobile operator community. Together, we
will create new opportunities for growth
and success, while providing unique
propositions to support these operators
in launching independent digital brands
and benefiting from distinctive commercial
models. The objective is to provide
unparalleled value to MNOs especially with
the rise of digital native subscribers making
it critical for them to adapt and innovate,
while also driving growth and profitability.”

38 MAY-JUNE 2023