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December 07 2009
AKTEL, the third largest
mobile operator, recorded
profits worth Tk 147 million
at the end of September,
rising from a loss of Tk 737
million in the same period
last year.
However, the company recorded
a loss of Tk 472 million in
the third quarter
(July-September) compared to
the second quarter
(April-June) this year. In Q2,
the company recorded profits
worth Tk 598 million.
AKTEL's EBITDA (earnings
before interest, taxes and
depreciation) margin declined
to 17 percent in Q3 from 47
percent in Q2, which mainly
accounted for the losses incurred.
"The EBITDA declined quarter
on quarter due to the higher
subscriber acquisition costs
in Q3. The quarter recorded a
loss of Tk 472 million,"
according to the financial
report of Axiata, the Malaysia
based controlling company of
AKTEL.
AKTEL added 1.7 million
customers in Q3. The company's
total subscribers reached
11.07 million at the end of
September.
AKTEL saw continued revenue
growth of 7 percent in the
period, representing the
highest quarterly revenue
achieved of Tk 4.89 billion in
Q3 from Tk 4.5 billion in Q2.
The aggressive marketing
strategy in Q3 will be
tempered with more prudent
acquisition efforts and a
retention strategy moving
forward into Q4, according to
the company's financial report.
Alongside this, there will be
a continued focus on
distribution and services
whilst increasing brand
presence. Cost optimisation
will also be a priority,
including
infrastructure-sharing
efforts, says the report.
Axiata Group Berhad (formerly
known as TM International) is
controlling interests in
Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia
with significant strategic
stakes in India and Singapore.
Presently, Axiata controls 70
percent of AKTEL, while
Japanese NTT DoCoMo controls
the remaining 30 percent.
In the six-operator market,
Grameenphone is the market
leader with 21.98 million
customers, followed by
Bangalink with 12.13 million
at the end of September. More
than 50 million subscribers
were under the mobile networks
at the end of September.
Source: The Dailystar
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