Axiata Group Bhd.

Mobile telecommunications operator Axiata calls itself an Asiacentric multinational. Its rationale: It has controlling interests in cellular companies in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia as well as strategic stakes in India and Singapore. With a subscriber base exceeding 240 million -- a number that has grown sixfold since 2007 -- the group is one of Asia's biggest mobile operators.

Axiata was one of the earliest to roll out 4G services in Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The group is also one of the region's biggest telecommunications tower players, owning more than 13,000 towers in four countries via Edotco Group, a subsidiary Axiata plans to list in the near future.

Axiata was incorporated in 1992 as an international business division of Telekom Malaysia, the state telecommunications company. It was separated from Telekom and subsequently listed in 2008. Khazanah Nasional and other state funds combined hold more than 60% of Axiata's shares. The group is led by its President and CEO Jamaludin Ibrahim, a former IBM engineer who joined Axiata in 2008 after nine years as CEO of Maxis Communications, a leading Malaysian mobile operator.