Telkomselâs by.U Moves to Circles Cloud Platform with SaaS
Telkomselâs digital brand by.U has gone live on a new cloud-native, vertical Software-as-a-Service platform developed with Circles, a global telco technology company, in a move that consolidates multiple legacy systems and advances the operatorâs broader digital transformation.
The deployment, undertaken in a live environment serving millions of users, is positioned as one of the most complex modernisation programmes attempted by a Tier-1 incumbent in Southeast Asia.
Legacy infrastructure integration
Unlike ring-fenced pilots or greenfield launches, the by.U programme was executed within Telkomsel’s existing operational fabric.
The rollout required deep integration with legacy infrastructure, established processes and live customer journeys, while maintaining nationwide service continuity.
Telkomsel and Circles implemented structured change management, continuous monitoring and mitigation measures to keep the transition stable and transparent to users.
A blueprint for Tier-1 incumbents Circles positions the by.U deployment as evidence that large-scale brownfield transformations can be executed responsibly in production environments.
“Together with Telkomsel and by.U, we’ve shown that Tier-1 operators can modernise critical platforms at scale, supported by purpose-built telecom SaaS capabilities and deep operational expertise,” said Sanjay Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer at Circles.
“The result is a repeatable blueprint for sustainable innovation and operational stability.”
The partnership underscores a scalable approach to enterprise-grade SaaS modernisation within complex legacy landscapes, one that other Tier-1 telecommunications operators can adapt as they pursue digital transformation without disrupting existing user bases.
Measured performance and operational gains
Early outcomes cited by the companies include reduced latency across key digital flows such as checkout and product activation, contributing to more responsive customer experiences.
The migration to a single platform is aimed at lowering operational complexity and technical debt, while the end-to-end configurability is enabling quicker time-to-market for new offers.
The revamped data and orchestration layer also creates an “AI-ready” foundation to support future use cases spanning digital monetisation and autonomous operations.
“The platform’s configurability enables our teams to respond more effectively to market dynamics,” said Joyce Shia, Director of Information Technology, Telkomsel.
“This transformation strengthens our ability to innovate at speed, while maintaining operational discipline and service reliability.”
Consolidation and a vertical SaaS architecture
At the core of the programme is the consolidation of business support systems, orchestration layers and digital experience components into a unified, configurable, cloud-native platform.
Built on a modular, API-first architecture, the vertically integrated SaaS stack is designed for enterprise reliability, national-scale performance and faster iteration across products, pricing, campaigns and customer journeys, all under existing governance and approval frameworks.
