StarHub focuses on structural reset

StarHub is a homegrown Singapore company that offers quality mobile and fixed services, a broad suite of premium content, and a diverse range of communication solutions. The company develops and delivers solutions incorporating artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, Internet of Things, and robotics for corporate and government clients.

1. How is StarHub prioritising resilience and long-term value creation amid an uncertain operating environment?

Resilience in a rapidly evolving industry requires structural discipline. FY2026 is shaping up to be a structural reset year for both the telco sector and StarHub. Our approach is anchored on two key pillars.

Firstly, StarHub is structurally resetting its cost base through implementing a multi-year cost optimisation programme, with a target of achieving $70 million in run-rate savings across FY2026-2028. This programme is intended as a reset of our operating model, aimed at reaching the minimum efficient scale, with the objective to create a leaner and more agile organisation positioned for sustainable growth.

Secondly, alongside tightening structural costs, StarHub is making targeted investments in areas that reinforce long-term competitiveness, including cybersecurity, network infrastructure, and enterprise capabilities. These investments are calibrated, returns-driven and aligned to strengthening earnings quality and operational efficiency.

Overall, StarHub is utilising the current competitive environment to enhance execution and structural efficiency, while maintaining a disciplined approach to strategic investment. This strategy is intended to strengthen the company’s position as the sector stabilises and support sustainable long-term shareholder value following this period of adjustment.

2. With competition intensifying in the consumer business, what strategic steps is StarHub taking to defend and grow its market position?

StarHub maintains a significant presence in the market by competing on factors beyond price. As the sole operator with established positions across premium, digital and value segments, we are uniquely positioned to proactively shape behaviour. The company’s diverse brand portfolio provides the flexibility to defend, maintain or grow market share across various customer groups.

Our strategy is centred on developing profitable and sustainable market share rather than chasing volume at any cost. StarHub works to enhance customer lifetime value across its brands by improving service quality, offering differentiated content, providing bundled services, and optimising the customer experience. In addition, the company utilises data analytics, digital platforms and lifecycle management to support customer retention and increase average revenue per user (ARPU).

3. How does StarHub’s shift away from ultra-low value reflect a broader reset towards sustainable growth and earnings quality?

As consolidation within the telecommunications industry progresses and regulatory cost parity increases across operators, we expect competitive behaviour to rationalise over time. By focusing on architecting value rather than aggressive pricing strategies, this approach positions the company favourably as the market transitions toward more sustainable forms of competition.

4. Enterprise order book growth remains healthy, but revenue conversion is impacted by timing and mix. How should investors view execution priorities over the next year?

Our strong order book reflects underlying demand for our modern digital infrastructure and managed services platforms particularly within the government and enterprise segment. Revenue recognition timing is largely project-based and conversion timing is influenced by deployment schedules and solutions mix, especially as we increasingly secure larger, multi-year deals.

Our near-term execution priorities are centred around disciplined delivery and selective mergers and acquisitions to drive scale and enhance capabilities to accelerate implementation, strengthen project governance and ensure margin integrity as deals convert. Investors should focus on the order book quality and pipeline sustainability as leading indicators of medium-term growth.

5. As StarHub refines its cybersecurity strategy, how is the group balancing growth ambitions, capability depth and differentiation?

Cybersecurity forms a fundamental component of StarHub’s responsibilities as a provider of critical infrastructure and as a trusted digital infrastructure partner. It is not just a growth vertical.

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Our approach is capability-led, not purely acquisition-led. This means deepening partnerships, building proprietary expertise and integrating cyber capabilities into our broader modern digital infrastructure platform offering. This integrated model enabled us to scale while maintaining service credibility and margin discipline.

Importantly, as regulatory expectations rise and all operators are required to invest substantially in cybersecurity, structural cost asymmetries begin to narrow. Our consistent investment in this area distinguishes our position in a market where trust, resilience and integration are prioritised over isolated solutions.

For StarHub, cybersecurity is both a defensive and strategic play as it safeguards our core infrastructure while enhancing the value proposition of our enterprise platform. This dual role is central to achieving sustained differentiation over the long term.

6. Considering sector consolidation, how does StarHub view competitive intensity over the next 12–24 months? What does this mean for capital allocation?

Sector consolidation represents a structural change, but competitive pressures are expected to remain in the near term. We expect pricing discipline to remain challenged, and it will continue to be a key factor in the consumer segment as the market adjusts. Over time, consolidation — together with evolving critical infrastructure obligations — should gradually influence industry behaviour and narrow cost asymmetries across operators.

Against this backdrop, our approach to capital allocation is consistent — to be disciplined, focused on returns, and priorities areas within our control. Capital decisions are assessed with the objective of generating long-term value for shareholders, balancing investment in growth with structural efficiency. We will continue to invest selectively in network resilience and cybersecurity, scale enterprise capabilities, and enhance customer experience and digital engagement.

Underpinning this is the disciplined execution of our strategic cost optimisation programme, resetting our cost base to minimum efficient scale — all while maintaining balance sheet prudence, sufficient liquidity headroom and dividend sustainability.

While competitive pressures may persist in the near term, our response remains deliberate. We are allocating capital to strengthen our structural positioning so that, as market rationality improves, we are better placed to capture operating leverage and deliver sustainable shareholder returns.

7. With near-term volatility expected to persist, how is StarHub positioning its core segments to emerge stronger when conditions stabilise?

Across business segments, efforts are concentrated on strengthening fundamentals. Within the consumer division, the focus is on improving proposition value and advancing digital engagement. For enterprise, work is underway to expand platform capabilities, strengthen cybersecurity resilience, and enhance regional operations. In the infrastructure segment, ongoing investment is directed towards network resilience and cyber reliability. These actions are intended to improve operational efficiency and prepare the organisation to benefit from stabilising market conditions.

8. What operational and cost discipline levers are being prioritised to strengthen margins?

We have expanded our multi-year cost optimisation programme, which covers four core pillars:

Legacy decommissioning: This involves phasing out outdated platforms as well as removing unused assets and consolidating vendor contracts to reduce the total debt and lower ongoing operating costs.
Network automation: We are digitising and streamlining more than 20 core network functions, upgrading infrastructure, automating processes, and embedding cybersecurity into our network which will improve agility, service quality, and cost efficiency.
Systems re-architecture: Simplifying our IT landscape by consolidating fragmented tools and systems and strengthening our in-house capabilities. This gives us greater control and better long-term efficiency.
Business simplification: Here, we rationalise our product and brand portfolios and redesign our operating model by streamlining offerings, improving omnichannel experiences, and simplifying internal processes to deliver a better customer experience with lower complexity and cost.

These four pillars are underpinned by four strategic themes that run across the company: Simplification to support scalability and sustainability; redesign of end-to-end operating models to minimise fragmentation; evolution of delivery models to enhance agility and control costs; and reallocation of investment from legacy operations to areas aligned with future business needs.

The focus of this programme is to address the most significant and structurally inefficient cost areas — specifically those where complexity and underinvestment have impacted returns and service quality. The intention is to establish a robust operational foundation that enables StarHub to improve competitiveness across market segments and support sustainable, long-term value creation for shareholders.

9. On the $70 million multi-year cost optimisation programme — what are the milestones and when will savings flow through?

Execution is already underway across the pillars, with cost savings to be realised gradually over FY2026–2028, with meaningful impact on the profit and loss statement anticipated as these initiatives are expanded and outdated cost structures are phased out. The programme is intended to establish a more efficient operational framework to support future business requirements, rather than serving solely as a cost reduction measure.

10. How is StarHub advancing its sustainability commitments?

Sustainability considerations are integrated into our operational and investment practices. Our priorities span across improving energy efficiency, maintaining responsible network operations, advancing sustainable supply chain management, supporting workforce well-being, and promoting digital inclusion. We also contribute to customers’ sustainability objectives by providing smart infrastructure and digital solutions. Governance and disclosure practices are being enhanced in line with these ongoing efforts.

Emelia Tan is a director of the capital market development team at SGX Group