Cellular Phone Operator Robi bagged 1.7 million new subscribers in the first half of the current year with 6.9 per cent revenue growth compared to same period of last year.
During the period, the strong revenue growth with remarkable data revenue growth of 113.7 per cent was propelled by significant investment in network, said the operator while releasing business update of Quarter Two (Q2) at a press conference in a city hotel.
“Robi has recorded stable growth across all parameters since the start of the year and we are investing significantly towards expanding our 3.5G network across the country and to support growth in data usage,” said Supun Weerasinghe, Robi Managing Director and CEO.
“However, given the slow growth in voice revenues and imposition of new taxes, the overall growth may be impacted in the next half of the year,” he added.
Robi collected 1.7 million new subscribers to reach 24.0 million, which represents 20.6 per cent mobile subscriber market share of the country.
Besides, Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew by 14.5 percent during the first six months of the year compared to the similar period of previous year. However, Profit after Tax (PAT) dropped by 2.6 per cent, largely due to additional investment in spectrum and CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) to support 3.5G network operation in the country.
Despite slow growth in subscribers, the company delivered strong 5.0 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) growths in top line to register BDT 12.3 billion revenue in Q2, 2014. An impressive 28.3 per cent growth in data revenue driven by 3.5G data adoption helped to deliver strong growth in top line.
