Malaysia-based edotco Group Sdn Bhd via its Tower to Community (T2C) programme, is improving the lives of over 3,500 people in the rural areas of Malaysia, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
edotco is a regional integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, providing end-to-end solutions in the Telco tower services sector from tower leasing, co-locations, build-to-suit, energy, transmission and operations and maintenance (O&M).
Going beyond its core purpose of enabling connectivity, edotco channels excess electricity from its towers to power up homes and services for communities living in nearby areas. This surplus energy is derived from a combination of renewable energy sources and diesel generators equipped at each site.
edotco’s T2C programme was launched in 2016 as one of its key initiatives to address the unmet needs of people living nearby its towers. Today, there are a total of 32 sites across Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Malaysia that are bringing a positive impact in communities.
In Malaysia, edotco’s Tower to Community (T2C) project tends to the limited healthcare access in remote communities by powering up refrigeration systems to maintain the cold chain to store Hepatitis B, BCG, Measles, and Oral polio vaccinations and the bi-monthly operation of an Orang Asli community clinic in the remote areas of Cameron Highlands.
Similarly in Myanmar, the T2C initiative powers up refrigeration systems to maintain the cold chain to store vaccination for over 2,000 families in rural hard to reach areas.
While access to electricity for the larger population in Bangladesh and Myanmar have been rising with electrification rates at 88% and 70% respectively in 2017, there are still pockets of communities that are not connected to the national grid, according to edotco. These segments struggle to meet basic needs and comfort as reliable and affordable access to electricity continues to be a challenge.
Since its inception, this initiative has enhanced the lives at home for school children and their families by generating electricity to power 1,020 houses in over 26 locations in Bangladesh. To improve the living conditions of these communities, edotco has also extended its initiative by installing solar-powered water pumps to ensure over 30 families in villages located in Jadur Haat and Nilphamari have access to clean and safe drinking water. The initiative also powers up one hospital, 30 mosques and 28 schools in Bangladesh.
“edotco believes that it has a purpose beyond being a telecommunications provider. We seek to also improve the lives of communities living close to our towers. We work hand-in-hand with a wide-range of stakeholders as partners in a number of initiatives. The considerable impact from our T2C initiatives are a testament of our commitment to deliver excellence even in areas outside our business priorities. Whether it is to power homes, medical facilities, schools or places of worship, we strive to improve the quality of lives for those living nearby our towers,” said edotco Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Suresh Sidhu.
“We place great emphasis on making a positive impact in the communities in which we operate. At edotco, we believe that you are only as good as what you give back to society. That is why we strive to lead by example and ensure our operations are handled responsibly and sustainably,” added Suresh.
edotco Group operates and manages a regional portfolio of over 29,900 Telco towers across core markets of Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with 19,700 towers directly operated by edotco and a further 10,200 towers managed through a range of services provided.
