U Mobile encourages 5G adoption by providing solutions that leverage AI, automation, and MEC, unlocking enterprise potential and value.
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan recently assessed the mobile services industry and, based on its findings, recognizes U Mobile with the 2024 Malaysian Company of the Year Award. The company recognizes the local community's need for fast and reliable connectivity and its role in promoting digitalization for the next generation. As part of its vision to be Malaysia's favorite mobile and digital services provider, U Mobile is committed to bringing the benefits of 5G technology to consumers, enterprises, and the public sector, and enabling the digital infrastructure needed to drive digital adoption. U Mobile innovates so that its products and services offer unbeatable value at accessible price points. It provides seamless, unlimited connectivity to the masses with various options tailored to different needs and budgets. The company has maintained its prepaid stronghold for many years, ranking high with consumers and evidenced by its consecutive awards for its prepaid plans. U Mobile's revised data speeds and Fair Usage Policy for its award-winning prepaid range push boundaries with seamless streaming, gaming, and browsing, raising industry standards in customer experience. In East Malaysia, U Mobile launched U Borneo plans specifically designed to meet the needs of East Malaysian subscribers with up to 2,000 GB 5G data for only RM15 monthly. Across all its product offerings, U Mobile has successfully provided the best value for the price despite market challenges, as seen by its increasing revenue, postpaid subscribers, and broadband subscriber numbers.
For enterprises, U Mobile constructed a product offering portfolio that looks into the needs of big and small businesses. A highlight and critical differentiator is the monthly complimentary global roaming, which is capped only after 15 GB and incoming calls from 63 destinations. This enables its micro-SME customers to stay connected with their partners without incurring bill shock or incurring high travel claims. Other innovative enterprise service offerings include its U Biz Fibre 10Gbps offering, which provides uninterrupted connectivity with complimentary secure DNS. As Malaysia's fastest business fiber plan, U Biz Fibre 10Gbps aligns with U Mobile's ambition to drive digitalization for enterprises by providing a plan designed to handle data-intensive tasks that support technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive high-definition media. Further leveraging its network and emerging technologies, U Mobile also has a portfolio of enterprise solutions aimed at reaping the benefits of digital transformation for businesses, such as U Biz dedication internet access (DIA) service, U Biz P2P (point-to-point), and U Biz Private Network.
Mei Lee Quah, director of ICT research at Frost & Sullivan, observed, "By leveraging 5G technology, U Mobile has shown effort and dedication to shaping a digitally inclusive future with enterprises and supporting Malaysia's ambition to be a digitally enabled and technology-driven nation is starting to bear fruit, with early results showing promising outcomes."
U Mobile's collaboration with global technology players increases its leadership edge in 5G, helping it accelerate 5G adoption within the enterprise segment and elevate the customer experience. It can more effectively and efficiently explore the potential of 5G innovation and how it can digitally transform various industries, particularly with 5G solutions and use cases for the enterprise segment. An equally critical enabler is the opportunity for U Mobile to upgrade its technology to better support enterprises. Its partnerships foster greater efficiency, speed, and agility for both consumer and enterprise segment applications and help improve the intelligence of U Mobile's network with autonomous network development and deployment and with AI/machine learning adoption. This leads to more efficient and reliable mobile network operations and better performance.
"Over the past year, U Mobile rolled out many new plans to address market needs and entered into multiple partnerships to tap into 5G's potential. The company's efforts to innovate will likely receive a boost from technology upgrades; with better technological capabilities and a wider scope, the company can make an even bigger impact on the local community and the country's growth," added Quah. By constantly pushing boundaries and creating competitive differentiators, U Mobile is quickly becoming a formidable participant in the Malaysian mobile services market. With its strong overall performance, U Mobile earns Frost & Sullivan's 2024 Malaysia Company of the Year Award in the Mobile Services industry.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Frost & Sullivan
For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, megatrends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact us: Start the discussion.
Contact:
Tarini Singh
E: tarini.singh@frost.com
About U Mobile
U Mobile's vision is to be Malaysia's most favourite digital services partner through innovations that constantly make things possible. To realise this, we are committed to providing unbeatable quality connectivity experiences that are best-in-class and 5G speeds that are ultra-fast at no extra cost. We believe our accessible quality connectivity narrows the digital divide by providing Malaysians access to the right skills and tools to unleash their unbeatable potential. For more information on U Mobile, please visit www.u.com.my.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
U Mobile is Applauded by Frost & Sullivan for Its Key Role in Narrowing East Malaysia's Digital Divide with Affordable 5G Connectivity Solutions and Leading Market Innovations
SINGAPORE, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A newly released white paper, based on research conducted independently by IQVIA, a global healthcare consultancy, and commissioned by GSK, highlighted the economic and healthcare burden posed by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) on older adults aged 60 years or over in high-income Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries and regions, including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.
Substantial RSV-associated Hospitalisation Costs Put Pressure on Older Adults
The white paper estimated that in 2023, RSV led to approximately 3,251 hospitalisations amongst older adults in Singapore and is linked to a higher per-person direct medical cost (compared to cost in Australia and Japan) to cover inpatient stays, increased hospitalisation length, ICU resources, and emergency visits.2
Amongst the APEC countries and regions in the survey, hospitalisation costs per older adult in Singapore amounted to SGD 9,430 (USD 7,037),* as compared to Australia at SGD 7,757 (USD 5,789)* and Japan at SGD 8,242 (USD 6,151).* Hong Kong had a slightly higher cost at SGD 7,848 (USD 10,515)* compared to Singapore's.
RSV, a common and contagious virus that affects the lungs and respiratory airways, that can affect people of all ages, from infants to adults. Among adults, it disproportionately affects older adults with weakened immunity and pre-existing chronic conditions. As older adults aged 60 years or over experience a weaker immune system, they are more susceptible to severe RSV infections. Chronic conditions, such as heart diseases, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are factors that could exacerbate the impact of RSV, leading to health decline, re-hospitalisations, and loss of independence even after the acute episode has resolved.3-6
A four-year study conducted in Singapore reported that one in every 20 older adults aged 65 years or over has tested positive for RSV in influenza-negative specimens.7
A family member caregiver of an RSV patient (name withheld on the caregiver's request) interviewed by GSK, shared, "As a caregiver, watching a loved one struggle with RSV is incredibly challenging. The challenge goes beyond the illness itself — it is the sleepless nights, the constant worry, and the disruption to daily life. When my mother was hospitalised due to RSV, I realised how vulnerable we all are to this virus. The financial strain is just as overwhelming as the emotional toll. Hospital bills, medication costs, and the possibility of long-term care can quickly add up, leaving families financially drained on top of the stress of caring for a loved one. Speak to your doctor early when in doubt to avoid unnecessary hospital stays and the added financial burden."
Burden of RSV Hospitalisation Amongst Older Adults with Chronic Conditions Highlight Need for Increased Awareness and Improved Diagnosis
Earlier published studies have reported that the direct medical cost associated with RSV hospitalisation rose significantly for patients with more severe outcomes, which were more frequently observed in older adults, especially those with pre-existing chronic conditions.8-10
More than 85% of Singaporean adults aged 60 years or over have reported having been diagnosed with at least one chronic condition,11 and it has been estimated that nearly 25% of the Singapore population will be 65 years of age or older in 2030, compared to the current 14%.12
Dr Lee Tau Hong, Infectious Disease Specialist, Infectious Diseases Care Clinic in Singapore, shared with GSK, "RSV poses a significant burden on patients, families, and healthcare systems worldwide. It not only causes distress for patients but also places immense strain on resources during peak flu and RSV seasons. Addressing this burden through prevention, early detection, and education is critical to safeguarding public health and reducing the impact of RSV on our communities."
The Way Forward
IQVIA's white paper underscores the importance of preventive measures, such as RSV vaccination programmes, to mitigate the virus's impact on older adults and alleviate the strain on healthcare resources.
Other preventive measures, beyond vaccination, include practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes and ensuring ample physical distance away from others when one is sick.13
Additionally, the white paper highlighted the value of increasing the frequency of testing to identify RSV cases in implementing effective healthcare strategies. Further, the white paper brought out the importance of accurate information as a first step towards preventing RSV infections and the role of healthcare professionals in engaging with the public.
"Low awareness of RSV and preventive actions, coupled with the reported substantial costs of medical treatment and hospitalisation, presents a significant financial burden, especially amongst older adults. It is important to also understand that older adults who come out of hospitalisation due to severe RSV could experience significant changes in the quality of their lives, with some sharing that they were never the same person again. This highlights the urgent need to address the growing impact of RSV infections on healthcare systems and strengthen primary, acute, and long-term care in societies where ageing is an emerging challenge, such as Singapore, shared Dr. Stephanie Cinthu Stephen Ambrose, Country Medical Director, GSK Singapore.
The IQVIA white paper concluded emphasising on the need for healthcare practitioners, public health bodies, and policymakers to come together to improve RSV patient outcomes in APEC countries, including Singapore, and prevent RSV infection in older adults.
The full white paper, "Economic Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Among Older Adults in Select Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Countries," can be accessed via https://www.iqvia.com/locations/asia-pacific/library/white-papers/economic-burden-of-respiratory-syncytial-virus-infection-among-older-adults.
*IQVIA white paper reported costs in USD currency; conversion to SGD utilised the prevailing rate at the time of writing
- END-
About RSV in older adults aged 60 years or over
RSV is a common contagious virus affecting the lungs and breathing passages that can affect people of all ages, from infants to adults. For adults 60 and older, data suggest an increased risk for severe RSV infection that can lead to hospitalisation.15Older adults are at high risk for severe disease due in part to age-related decline in immunity, and older adults with underlying conditions are at even greater risk for severe disease15. RSV can exacerbate conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)16, asthma17, diabetes18 and congestive heart failure19 and can lead to severe outcomes, such as pneumonia, hospitalisation, and death15.
About GSK
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/locations/singapore/
About the IQVIA White Paper
The IQVIA white paper has been developed independently by the IQVIA RWE Medical and Scientific Writing: Epidemiology and Database Studies team. Funding for this work has been provided by GSK. Editorial assistance was provided by Shlok Kumar, Consultant, IQVIA, India.
A Pragmatic Literature Review (PLR) was conducted to identify published evidence on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) hospitalization incidence, number, and cost in adults, with a defined scope, inclusion criteria, and data identification and extraction methods. Once the criteria were defined, they were converted into strategies, which were then used to search relevant databases for identifying pertinent evidence. The selected articles were assessed according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria.
References
1. Costs are adjusted for inflation till 2023. The local Singapore currency was converted from United States dollars (USD) based on the exchange rate of 2023 on World Bank. Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?locations=SG.
2. Branche AR, Falsey AR. Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection in older adults: an under-recognized problem. Drugs Aging. 2015;32(4):261-9.
3. Mehta J, Walsh EE, Mahadevia PJ, Falsey AR. Risk factors for Respiratory Syncytial Virus illness among patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD. 2013;10(3):293-9.
4. Falsey AR. Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection in elderly and high-risk adults. Exp Lung Res. 2005;31 Suppl 1:77.
5. Falsey AR, Walsh EE, House S, et al. Risk Factors and Medical Resource Utilization of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human Metapneumovirus, and Influenza-Related Hospitalizations in Adults-A Global Study During the 2017-2019 Epidemic Seasons (Hospitalized Acute Respiratory Tract Infection [HARTI] Study). Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(11):ofab491.
6. Branche AR, Falsey AR. Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection in older adults: an under-recognized problem. Drugs Aging. 2015;32(4):261-9.
7. Ang, Li Wei et al. "Characterisation of respiratory syncytial virus activity in children and adults presenting with acute respiratory illness at primary care clinics in Singapore, 2014-2018." Influenza and other respiratory viruses vol. 14,4 (2020): 412-419. doi:10.1111/irv.12730
8. Nguyen-Van-Tam JS, O'Leary M, Martin ET, et al. Burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in older and high-risk adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence from developed countries. Eur Respir Rev. 2022;31(166):220105.
9. Stephens LM, Varga SM. Considerations for a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Targeting an Elderly Population. Vaccines (Basel). 2021;9(6).
10. Walsh EE, Peterson DR, Falsey AR. Risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus infection in elderly persons. J Infect Dis. 2004;189(2):233-238.
11. Chan, A., Malhotra, R., Visaria, A., Sung, P., Siok Seng, B. J., Ching, & Tan, Y. W. (2020). Transitions in health, employment, social engagement and intergenerational Transfers in Singapore Study (THE SIGNS Study) – II: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal analyses of Key aspects of Successful Ageing. Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School. https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/docs/librariesprovider3/publications-docs/the-signs-study---ii-report-(revised).pdf?sfvrsn=b391ced0_0
12. Department of Statistics Singapore. https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/population/elderly-youth-and-gender-profile/latest-data. Retrieved from: Asian Development Bank. (2020). Singapore's Care System and Population Aging: Challenges and Options. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/637416/singapore-care-system-population-aging.pdf
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). How RSV spreads. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/causes/index.html
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Report: RSV-associated Hospitalisation Costs in Singapore Estimated at SGD 9,430 per Patient; Poses Financial Strain on At-risk Older Adults
