Mobile phone operator Robi’s net profit declined by 9 per cent to Tk 130 crore in the third quarter of 2014 compared with the same period of the previous year because of higher operational expenses for 3G rollout, said officials on Monday. In Q3 of 2013 the net profit of the company was Tk 140 crore.
‘The huge investment in 3G acquisition and network development have affected the profit despite growth in the data service,’ Robi chief executive officer Supun Weerasinghe told reporters while disclosing the Q3 financial results at CIRDAP auditorium.
On quarterly basis, Robi’s revenue also decreased by one per cent to Tk 1,200 crore in Q3 compared with the figure of Q2 mainly due to fall in voice revenue.
The company also reported that its net profit dropped by 4.9 per cent in the first nine months of the current year. The total data, however, was not available.
Supun said that Robi had brought all 64 districts of Bangladesh under the 3G coverage in November 2014.
He also said the data service was growing fast but the voice revenue was slowing down.
‘Imposition of an additional surcharge on customer talk-time may further hinder voice revenue growth,’ he said.
Robi subscriber-base grew from 24 million to 25 million recording a 4 per cent growth during the quarter.
The company paid Tk 165 crore to the national exchequer in the first nine months of the current year.
-With New Age input
