TowerXchange recently caught up with Oliver Coughlan, COO, edotco Group, to learn about his new role in the group, and to hear about edotco pioneering the first carbon fibre tower in Asia; a light weight yet high tensile strength solution whichis 40-50% faster to install while offering a 20% reduction in TCO.
TowerXchange: Congratulations on your recent appointment; could you tell us about your new role?
Oliver Coughlan, COO, edotco:
I’ve moved on from the role of Managing Director, edotco Myanmar which I held since the acquisition of MTC last year. My new role is now as the Chief Operations Officer of edotco Group, reporting directly to the Group CEO. The role is based in edotco headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and I share responsibility for Cambodia, Malaysia and also Myanmar.
This new role offers the best of both worlds - I’ll have the opportunity to get involved in the development of other markets, and at the same time maintain my involvement in the Myanmar market, which is great as I’ve enjoyed my time there.
As the company continues its growth and expansion of our footprint across the region, the management team needs additional support. The role will also cover the integration of new technologies, combining the responsibilities of a COO and CTO, inasmuch as a towerco requires a CTO.
I’ve held the role of CEO and CTO for other companies in different markets, including Myanmar. I have over twenty years of experience in telecoms and the tower industry, during which I’ve had the opportunity to learn about different countries and its cultures. I will draw upon this experience to achieve my main objectives - the expansion of edotco’s footprint, and supporting our customers with timely and cost-effective service.
TowerXchange: Could you tell us about your new project on the deployment of carbon fibre towers?
Oliver Coughlan, COO, edotco:
At edotco, we are always experimenting with materials and innovative solutions to address the challenges of the telecommunications infrastructure industry. We are pioneering the use of carbon fibre structures in Asia to provide a solution that addresses requirements and concerns of the telecommunications ecosystem from MNOs, governments, regulators, landlords, end-users and communities.
We are pioneering the use of carbon fibre structures in Asia, to provide a solution that addresses requirements and concerns of the telecommunications ecosystem from MNOs, governments, regulators, landlords, end-users and communities
The ground-based carbon fibre tower installed in Puchong, Malaysia is the first such tower in Asia, by edotco. Carbon fibre structures harness the inherent properties of the material to offer unrivalled benefits:
- 70% less weight than conventional steel structures, reducing foundation requirements by half while providing a high strength to weight ratio. A smaller footprint also requires less materials;
- High rigidity with tensile strength ten times greater than steel, allowing load bearing with the structure able to better withstand harsher forces of nature especially wind conditions;
- Reduced installation time; overall it is 40-50% faster to install a carbon fibre structure;
- High durability as it is highly corrosive resistant, contributing towards lower maintenance costs over the lifespan of the structure.
These features will result in a 20% lower total cost of ownership (TCO). As edotco gains more experience in the deployment of carbon fibre towers, customisation requirements will lessen, bringing the company closer to its target of a 40% TCO reduction.
TowerXchange: Which markets are you looking at next for deployment?
Oliver Coughlan, COO, edotco:
The next carbon fibre tower to be installed will be a rooftop structure in Bangladesh, where it will provide a solution to building constraints. This is the next deployment we have planned, but the carbon fibre tower is truly an ideal solution that will be made available for new builds across our footprint as one of our core products. The aesthetically pleasing carbon fibre tower is also a green solution as it emits less carbon dioxide during its production process.
This solution affirms our commitment to enable connectivity in our countries of operation by establishing high quality shareable telecommunications infrastructure for network operators.
Don’t miss the upcoming TowerXchange Meetup Asia being held on 13-14 December at the Marina Bay Sands,Singapore. For more information visit https://meetup.towerxchange.com/event/779b884f-2156-4a99-81e0-747a2f905382
