This growth has been led by its Bangladesh operations (at CAGR of 60.4 per cent), followed by its Sri Lankan operations (at 41.2 per cent), says a press release.

With just over 500,000 cellular subscribers as late as 2001, TM now has more than 15 million subscribers in nine countries Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Iran. This brings its total regional subscriber base, including its domestic operations, to some 24 million.

TM, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, attributes this growth to the exponential demand for communications services from emerging countries throughout the region.

In Bangladesh, TM is represented via its 70 percent stake in TM International (Bangladesh) Ltd, the second largest cellphone service provider in the country with the brand name of AKTEL, which has a subscriber base of more than four million.

Yusof Annuar Yaacob, chief executive officer of TM's international investments holding arm TM International (TMI), said the company is pleased with the progress of its international operations. TM via its local subsidiaries holds market leadership positions in key markets over the last five years. The company's Sri Lankan subsidiary Dialog Telekom has moved to the number 1 spot, whilst its Bangladesh subsidiary TMIB has captured the number 2 position. Both its Indonesian as well as Cambodian operations are in number 3 position.

"We believe we are well-positioned to provide quality products and services to cater to the increasing demand for mobility in Asia," Yusof told regional media present at a briefing on the sidelines of the 'ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum 2006' in Jakarta yesterday.