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Marko Cetkovic
Chief Digital Officer, M1
M1, a subsidiary of Keppel Ltd., is Singapore’s first digital network operator, providing a suite of communications services, including mobile, fixed line and fibre offerings, to over two million customers.
Since the launch of its commercial services in 1997, M1 has achieved many firsts – becoming one of the first operators to be awarded one of Singapore’s two nationwide 5G standalone network licences, first operator to offer nationwide 4G service, as well as ultra high-speed fixed broadband, fixed voice and other services on the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN).
M1’s mission is to drive transformation and evolution in Singapore’s telecommunications landscape through cutting-edge technology and made-to-measure offerings. For more information, visit m1.com.sg
Supernova Award Category:
The Problem:
M1's leadership foresaw the need to set themselves apart and deliver exceptional value. Partnering with the Keppel Group and SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS (SPH), M1 embarked on a groundbreaking transformation initiative to propel their competitiveness. This journey involved a multifaceted strategy centered on fostering innovation, embracing technology, and leveraging digitalization to provide their customers with irresistible products and stay at the forefront of the industry.
For more details: https://www.keppel.com/en/media/media-releases-sgx-filings/m1-to-commenc...
The Solution:
M1's journey was driven by the unwavering belief that personalization should be the cornerstone of their digital transformation. As a telecom pioneer, they championed the role of building the bedrock of a thriving digital ecosystem, where seamless connectivity wasn't a luxury, but the lifeblood of progress.
Infosys collaborated with M1 to empower customers with customized experiences through tailored plans and hyper-personalized recommendations. The ultimate objective was to simplify and safer for users.
Infosys crafted a strategy for M1 built upon the following foundational pillars:
• Cost takeout from non-discretionary spend areas to fund the transformation
• Cloud-first and API/microservices-based approach
• Customer experience journey reimagination across channels
The Results:
M1 spearheaded a groundbreaking transformation journey to become a frontrunner in the digital native telco space, offering hyper-personalized experiences to its customers. This journey from a traditional telecom operator to a digital powerhouse involved a strategic reevaluation of three core pillars: People, Process, and Technology. (https://www.salesforce.com/customer-success-stories/m1).
Future-Proofing Their Workforce: M1 invested heavily in its people, empowering them through training and reskilling initiatives. This forward-thinking approach ensured their workforce was well-equipped for the digital future.
Agility at the Forefront: Embracing digital nativity allowed M1 to revolutionize its processes. Their focus shifted towards increased nimbleness and agility, ultimately leading to a more customer-centric approach. This shift yielded impressive results, with a 75% improvement in the sales journey process, a testament to their commitment to customer satisfaction.
Tech at the Helm: Technology played a pivotal role in M1's transformation journey. Partnering with Infosys, a leading system integrator, M1 implemented best-in-class platforms including Salesforce and other platforms for transformation moving to a 90% cloud native platform. This strategic move solidified their position as Singapore’s only digital native telco and one of the few worldwide to complete a full migration from legacy systems to a digital stack, impacting all 100% of their customers.
Metrics:
• 90% of its operational and business support system assets moved to the cloud, enabling it to perform analytics and generate actionable insights quickly.
• Its new cloud-based platform enables the creation of personalised services for its consumers. M1 is also the only telco in Singapore to offer this degree of hyperpersonalisation to customers, with some six million permutations possible with its Bespoke Flexi service plan which is akin to a possibility of an unique per each person in Singapore.
• The company’s ongoing strategic efforts have enabled them to secure 1.61 million postpaid customers since 2018.
• The revenue from M1’s enterprise business grew 50% YoY to S$222m in H1 2023, making up about 37% of M1’s revenue for this period, whilst its mobile customer in the consumer business grew 12.5% YoY.
• The previous IT stack consisted of almost 300 applications, while the new digital stack streamlined it to 30 cloud-native applications.
• Sales journeys became optimized and the end-to-end navigation for Sales personnel using the new system, was 75% faster post this transformation.
• From approximately 200 databases scattered across different areas in the old IT stack, M1 now operates with a unified data lake on the new digital platform.
• The focus on customer experience is now at an all-time high at M1, inspiring them to explore more services, including 5G-enabled content, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and more.
The Technology:
M1 partnered with Infosys as its service integrator to successfully consolidated the legacy infrastructure into a unified hyper cloud, maximizing the value of existing investments while continually driving efficiency through digital transformation. Leveraging best of breed platforms including Salesforce as the platform for transformation moving to a 90% cloud native platform. We introduced Infosys Cobalt, a services solution platform for cloud-powered enterprise transformation.
Disruptive Factor:
The most challenging aspect of this journey was the need to cultivate a transformative mindset within the organization. Infosys, as their partner, played a key role in fostering this shift by leveraging the agile delivery methodology. This methodology provided the foundation for identifying the most effective tools and processes to drive the transformation.
Inside-Out Transformation:
The digital journey embraced an "inside-out" perspective, demanding significant changes to M1's internal operations. A crucial step was empowering stakeholders with a deep understanding of the transformation. Infosys utilized five years of data to craft a compelling narrative, showcasing M1's evolution from a mobile-centric model to one offering hyper-personalized customer experiences. This strategic shift promised not only to elevate customer lifetime value but also propel sustainable growth.
Shining Moment:
2024 Asian Telecom Awards - Mobile Operator of the Year, Singapore
2024 Asian Telecom Awards - CEO of the Year, Singapore
2024 Asian Telecom Awards - Technology Innovation of the Year, Singapore
DevSecOps India summit runner up in 2021
Industry innovation winner at Dreamforce 2023.
About M1
M1, Singapore's first digital network operator, offers mobile, fixed line & fibre services to over 2 million customers. A leader in innovation, M1 was first to launch nationwide 4G & 5G, and high-speed broadband services. M1’s mission is to drive transformation and evolution in Singapore’s telecommunications landscape through cutting-edge technology and made-to-measure offerings.
