Tuas delivers stunning growth for ASX investors
By Jun Bei Liu
If you've ever wondered what happens when one of Australia's most successful and mysterious telecom founders sets his sights on Singapore, look no further than Tuas (ASX:TUA).
This is not your average telco story. It's a tale of disruption, relentless growth, and the magic touch of David Teoh, a man who's built not one but two billion-dollar telecom empires.
Let's rewind.
The David Teoh success story
David Teoh, the reclusive billionaire who famously dodges cameras and headlines, is the brains behind TPG Telecom - one of Australia's great business success stories.
After emigrating from Malaysia in the 1980s, Teoh and his wife Vicky started TPG as a humble computer retailer.
Fast forward a few decades, and TPG had morphed into a telecom juggernaut, swallowing up rivals, pioneering aggressive pricing, and ultimately merging with Vodafone in a $15 billion deal. Under Teoh's leadership, TPG's equity rose five-fold between 2010 and 2020, a track record most CEOs can only dream of.
But Teoh wasn't done.
The rise of Tuas
In 2020, he spun out TPG's Singapore arm, rebranding it as Tuas and listing it on the ASX.
The mission? To do in Singapore what he'd already done in Australia: shake up a sleepy market with sharp pricing, lean operations, and a laser focus on value for customers.
And it's working fast.
Tuas's mobile business, Simba, has stormed into Singapore's ultra-competitive telco market, grabbing over 1.1 million subscribers and more than 10 per cent market share in just a few years.
The secret sauce? Simple, affordable plans, minimal marketing fluff, and a knack for giving customers exactly what they want. It's classic Teoh: keep costs low, scale up quickly, and let word-of-mouth do the heavy lifting.
Broadband and more
But Tuas isn't stopping at mobile.
The company is now rolling out high-speed fibre broadband, already signing up thousands of new customers and setting its sights on becoming a full-service telecom provider.
And with the recent blockbuster acquisition of M1 (Singapore's third-largest mobile operator), Tuas is about to turbocharge its growth, gaining access to established infrastructure, a broader customer base, and a powerful platform for expansion.
Soaring share price
Financially, the numbers are just as impressive.
Tuas's revenue has more than doubled in the past year, profits have swung firmly into the black, and the company is sitting on a healthy cash pile to fund its next phase of growth.
Investors have taken notice: the share price has soared, and Tuas is now firmly on the radar of both retail and institutional investors.
Playbook for success
What makes this story so compelling is David Teoh himself.
He's the ultimate founder's founder, hands-on, fiercely private, and with an uncanny ability to spot opportunities where others see obstacles.
Teoh's playbook is all about discipline: aggressive pricing, tight cost control, and a willingness to bet big when the odds are in his favour. It's a formula that's worked before, and all signs point to it working again.
The stars align
So, why look at Tuas now? The stars are aligning.
With the M1 deal, Tuas is set to leap from challenger to major player in Singapore's telecom scene.
The company's growth engine is humming, the founder's track record is second to none, and the market opportunity is wide open. For retail investors looking for a growth story with proven leadership and plenty of upside, Tuas is one to watch.
Every market cycle has its disruptors. In Singapore, that disruptor is Tuas, and behind it all is David Teoh, quietly building his next empire.
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