SingTel Group's Mobile Customer Base Expands to 249 Million

Singapore Telecommunications Group is now serving 249 million mobile lines, up 35 percent or 64 million customers year-on-year, as of 31-March-2009. The Group's aggregate mobile customer base in all eight markets, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, grew 7.3 percent, or 17 million on a sequential quarterly basis despite the intense competition in the markets and the slowdown in the economies.


The proportionate mobile customer base rose 33 percent from a year ago or 7.0 percent from a quarter ago.


Bharti, India's number one mobile phone operator, posted the biggest jump in customer numbers among the associates. Its mobile base reached 93.9 million customers as at 31 March 2009, an increase of 52 percent from a year ago or 9.7 percent from a quarter ago. It also achieved its highest ever quarterly net additions of 8.3 million mobile customers this quarter and had 24.0 percent market share of the total wireless subscriber base as at 31 March 2009.


Indonesia's Telkomsel grew its mobile customer base by 41 percent or 20.8 million from a year ago. In the quarter, the Indonesian operator added 6.8 million customers and grew its market share by 3 percentage points to 49 percent as at 31 March 2009 from a quarter ago.


Thailand and the Philippines, the more mature markets, also posted strong mobile customer additions. AIS added 2.5 million mobile subscribers or 10 percent more from a year ago. Globe added 4.5 million mobile customers or 21 percent more from a year ago.


In Pakistan, Warid grew its total customer base by 3 million to 17.4 million, an increase of 21 percent from a year ago. PBTL's total mobile customer base in Bangladesh was 1.9 million, an increase of 315,000, or 20 percent more from a year ago.


In Australia, Optus' mobile customer base expanded 9.1 percent from a year ago to 7.79 million as at 31 March 2009. The solid growth was evidenced by the addition of 156,000 new mobile customers in the March quarter, including a total of 105,000 postpaid customers, driven by continuing strong demand for innovative offers including iPhone 3G, "Timeless" unlimited plans and wireless broadband. The number of 3G subscribers increased to 2.58 million this quarter.


In its home market of Singapore, SingTel added 405,000 new customers, or 16 percent more from a year ago, bringing its total mobile customer base to 2.98 million and extended its market share to 46.4 percent as at 31 March 2009, an increase of 3.0 percentage points from a year ago. A total of 34,000 new mobile customers were added during the quarter, of which 22,000 were postpaid net additions.
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