BENGALURU: Indian telecom player Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) reported 9.5 per cent and 10.7 per cent growth in operating revenue for its Airtel Digital TV Services (Airtel DTH) for the year and quarter ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2017-18; Q4 2017-18), respectively, as compared with the corresponding year ago periods. Airtel DTH’s operating revenue in FY 2017-18 was Rs 3,757 crore while in FY 2016-17 it was Rs 3,430.6 crore. Operating revenue in Q4 2017-18 was Rs 958.5 crore and in Q4 2016-17 it was Rs 865.7 crore.
The company reported improved EBIDTA for both FY 2017-18 and Q4 2017-18. EBIDTA in FY 2017-18 increased by 16.4 per cent to Rs 1,422.6 crore (37.9 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 1,221.9 crore (35.6 per cent of operating revenue). EBIDTA for the quarter rose by 17.4 per cent to Rs 370.1 crore (38.6 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 315.3 crore (36.4 per cent of operating revenue) in the previous year.
The company has increased its capital expenditure (capex) in FY 2017-18 as compared with the previous year. Total capex increased by 19.4 per cent to Rs 1,027.7 crore from Rs 860.8 crore in the previous year. Cumulative investment in FY 2017-18 was Rs 8,005.7 crore as compared with Rs 7,351.3 crore in FY 2016-17. Capex in Q4 2017-18 increased 48.9 per cent to Rs 206.4 crore as against Rs 138.6 crore in Q4 2016-17.
Subscriber details
Airtel reported 14.168 million Airtel DTH subscribers at the end of FY 2017-18. Quarter-on-quarter, its subscribers increased by 0.23 million. The company had reported 12.815 million subscribers at end of Q4 2016-17. Average revenue per user or ARPU for the quarter was Rs 228, the same as in Q4 2016-17, but declined from Rs 233 in the immediate trailing quarter. Monthly churn in Q4 2017-18 was lower at 1.1 per cent as compared with 1.2 per cent in Q4 2016-17 and Q3 2017-18.
Airtel numbers
Airtel’s annual consolidated revenue for FY 2017-18 at Rs 83,688 crore declined by 9.8 per cent over the previous year (reported drop of 12.3 per cent) on an underlying basis, led by decline of 11.7 per cent in India. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 30,448 crore reflects an EBITDA margin of 36.4 per cent as compared with 37.3 per cent in previous year.
Airtel’s consolidated revenue for Q4 2017-18 at Rs 19,634 crore declined by 5.4 per cent year-over-year (yoy) (reported drop of 10.5 per cent) on an underlying basis. India revenue for the quarter was Rs 14,796 crore shrunk by 7.5 per cent yoy (13.1 per cent on reported) on an underlying basis. Yoy decline was primarily caused by mobile drop of 13.5 per cent says the company. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 7,034 crore declined 12.0 per cent yoy. Consolidated EBITDA margin decreased by 0.6 per cent to 35.8 per cent in the quarter as against 36.4 per cent.
Airtel India and South Asia MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said, “The telecom industry continues to witness below cost, artificially suppressed pricing. Industry revenues were further adversely impacted this quarter due to the reduction in international termination rates. Our strategic investments in data capacities, innovative digital content through Airtel TV, customer friendly bundles and upgrade programs led to the highest-ever mobile data customer additions of 15 million during the quarter. Usage parameters remained robust on a yoy basis; we saw data and voice traffic grow 584 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. In line with our goal of building market-leading 4G networks, with best-in-class speeds and capacity; while supporting the digital India initiative, we have ended the financial year with our highest ever capital expenditure of Rs 240 billion. We intend to continue the rollout momentum next year as well.”
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