TM’s 1Q 2018 revenue falls 3.9% to RM2.8bil

By Digital News Asia May 22, 2018

Broadband customer base at 2.3 million; steady unifi take up with 1.18 million customers activated
unifi Mobile recorded good traction at 10% penetration of TM households

TM’s 1Q 2018 revenue falls 3.9% to RM2.8bil

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd (TM) on May 22 announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, where the group posted a revenue of RM2.85 billion, 3.9% lower year-on-year (y-o-y) from RM2.96 billion in the corresponding period last year. This was primarily due to a decline in voice, data and other telecommunication-related services, partially mitigated by an increase in internet revenue.

Group reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) for 1Q 2018 was RM766.7 million as compared to RM949.6 million in 1Q 2017 due to the lower revenue. Stripping off non-operational items, group normalised Ebitda stood at RM777.7 million as compared to RM957.7 million in 1Q 2017.

Group reported earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) for 1Q 2018 was at RM195.6 million, compared to RM303.8 million last year despite a lower operating cost from a reduction in depreciation and amortisation charges. Stripping off some non-operational items, such as unrealised foreign exchange loss on international trade settlement, group normalised Ebit stood at RM206.6 million as compared to RM311.9 million last year.

Group reported profit after tax and non-controlling interests (Patami) stood at RM157.1 million as compared to RM230.4 million in the previous year despite a higher foreign exchange gain on the group’s borrowings in the current quarter compared to corresponding quarter of 2017; whilst group normalised Patami was RM105.3 million as compared to RM229.8 million in the previous year, after setting aside items such as unrealised foreign exchange impact on borrowings and international trade settlements.

TM group chief executive officer Mohammed Shazalli Ramly (pic) said: "In 1Q 2018, we saw challenges across all our customer clusters which affected our performance. For the rest of this year, we remain guided by our two key strategic thrusts, namely to accelerate convergence and empower digital via our PERFEXE 10 approach. This will enable us to further accelerate broadband connectivity, convergence and digital economy.

“We will continue with our investment for long-term growth in line with our expansion plans but will also ensure that we fully sweat our existing assets. A multitude of exciting initiatives have been planned for this year. So our customers can look forward to more experiences in perfect oneness, only with unifi.

“We now have a converged nationwide coverage of unifi which includes broadband, mobility and wifi. Though we see declining numbers on the total fixed broadband customer base due to the drop in the number of pre-unifi (formerly known as Streamyx) customers, we are seeing steady quarterly growth for unifi at 4.5%. As at 31 March 2018, unifi achieved 1.18 million customers, while unifi Mobile achieved 10% penetration of TM’s households.

“With mobility, we have begun to focus on upgrading our customers from pure voice or broadband customers toward triple- or quadruple-play services, converting them into convergence households. We are pleased to see more customers moving up the value chain with convergence, with 45% of TM’s households having a convergence portfolio of 3-Play (3P) services and above - a combination of phone, broadband, mobile and TV. Our first mobile liberation plan, unifi Mobile #BEBAS received encouraging response from the public, with take up of more than 1.3 million SIMs, which was achieved in record time.

“On top of that, we recently launched unifi wireless broadband, which is a service catering for home renters. It is one of our initiatives to empower a highly desired digital lifestyle to retain our existing customers as we work on attracting more to our fold. Meanwhile, for our enterprise and public sector customers, TM ONE will continue to work together with them as a trusted enabler for digital transformation,” he added.

Total capital expenditure spent for 1Q 2018 as a percentage of revenue was 11.5%, amounting to RM327.4 million, centred mostly on major projects such as high speed broadband (HSBB), sub-urban broadband (SUBB) and expansion of LTE footprint. Of the total spent, 65% was for access, 17% was for core network, and 18% for support systems.

As TM moves forward in 2018, its strategy to accelerate convergence and empower digital remains relevant. Guided by its PERFEXE 10 execution plan, the telco have prioritised group-wide initiatives to be more focused in delivering results faster in light of the current challenging market landscape.