Singtel continued to lead market
Optus achieved record postpaid net additions
Singapore, 8 February 2010 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) announced that the Group posted strong growth in customer acquisitions with a combined regional mobile customer base of 285 million as at 31 December 2009, an increase of 23 per cent, or 52 million from a year ago.
|
|
Aggregate Customer Base (in 000s)
|
Proportionate Customer Base* (in 000s)
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||||
|
|
31 Dec 09
|
30 Sep 09
|
31 Dec 08
|
31 Dec 09
|
30 Sep 09
|
31 Dec 08
|
|
Singtel
|
3,181
|
3,100
|
2,942
|
3,181
|
3,100
|
2,942
|
|
Optus
|
8,244
|
8,225
|
7,633
|
8,244
|
8,225
|
7,633
|
|
Bharti
|
118,864
|
110,511
|
85,651
|
37,126
|
32,839
|
25,486
|
|
Telkomsel
|
81,643
|
79,774
|
65,300
|
28,575
|
27,921
|
22,855
|
|
AIS
|
28,773
|
28,282
|
27,470
|
6,134
|
6,030
|
5,865
|
|
Globe
|
23,245
|
23,128
|
24,702
|
11,004
|
10,949
|
11,694
|
|
Warid
|
18,847
|
18,468
|
16,914
|
5,654
|
5,540
|
5,074
|
|
PBTL
|
1,949
|
1,979
|
1,810
|
877
|
891
|
815
|
|
Group Total
|
284,746
|
273,467
|
232,422
|
100,795
|
95,495
|
82,364
|
*Proportionate base represents the number of mobile customers of an associate multiplied by the Singtel Group’s effective percentage ownership in the venture at the respective dates.
Bharti added 8.4 million mobile customers this quarter, up from 8.1 million a quarter ago. Its mobile customer base as at 31 December 2009 increased 39 per cent, or 33.2 million from a year ago, to 118.9 million.
Telkomsel’s mobile customer base grew by 25 per cent, or 16.3 million from a year ago, to 81.6 million.
Following two quarters of negative net additions as it churned out lower quality prepaid customers, Globe added 117,000 customers in the quarter. Globe had 23.2 million mobile customers as at 31 December 2009, down 5.9 per cent or 1.5 million from a year ago.
AIS’ mobile customer base grew 4.7 per cent, or 1.3 million, to 28.8 million. Warid’s total mobile customer base rose to 18.8 million as at 31 December 2009, 11 per cent, or 1.9 million higher than a year ago. PBTL gained 7.7 per cent, or 139,000 more mobile customers, bringing its total customer base to 1.9 million.
Compelling propositions drive sustained growth for Optus
Optus’ postpaid customer base grew a record 164,000 during the quarter, resulting in the postpaid customer base exceeding 4 million as at 31 December 2009.
During the quarter, Optus tightened its churn policy for customers who remained inactive after various recharge campaigns, and deactivated 272,000 prepaid customers. This resulted in a decline of 145,000 Optus prepaid customers this quarter with total prepaid customers of 4.2 million as at 31 December 2009.
Customer growth was achieved through Optus’ compelling propositions including refreshed wireless broadband plans, smartphone plans, unique content and applications and industry-leading “Timeless” plans.
In the quarter, the number of 3G customers increased to 3.34 million, an 8.7 percent increase from a quarter ago.
Singapore continued to lead market
Singtel added 81,000 new customers in the quarter, bringing its total mobile customer base to 3.2 million as at 31 December 2009, an increase of 8.1 per cent from a year ago.
Singtel’s enhanced iPhone offerings helped drive strong demand for the device and contributed to 36,000 new postpaid customers, up from 30,000 in the previous quarter. Singtel gained 45,000 prepaid customers with continued success from its targeted acquisition initiatives.
Demand for 3G mobile services remained strong with increased penetration of smartphones. Singtel’s total 3G mobile customer base grew steadily by 65,000 in the quarter to 1.41 million as at 31 December 2009.
More information on the performance of the Singtel Group will be available when it announces its results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2009 on 9 February 2010.
About Singtel
Singtel is a strategic investor in the region’s most successful mobile operations. It has a 21.35 per cent stake in Thailand’s Advanced Info Service (AIS). In India, it has a 32.01 per cent effective interest in Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest GSM operator. One of Singtel’s earliest investments in the region is Globe Telecom in the Philippines. Today, it has a 47.34 per cent stake in Globe. Singtel has a 35 per cent stake in Indonesia’s largest mobile operator, Telkomsel. It also has a 45 per cent stake in Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL) and a 30 per cent stake in Warid Telecom in Pakistan. More information can be found at www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.
