This is an excellent start to the year and our strong first
quarter performance confirms our view that we have a significant opportunity
ahead of us as a group. Our revised -Drive’ strategy continues to roll out
across our operations, ensuring that we remain closely focused on the three key
factors that will maintain our growth momentum for the future,” said Nasser
Marafih, chief executive officer, Qatar Telecom.
By focusing on the customer experience, strengthening the
foundations of our business, and investing in growth, I am confident that we
not only understand where future profitable growth for our Group can come from,
but that we also hold a leadership position in the data, Broadband and
connectivity arenas that will be key generators of profits in future years,” Marafih
added.
Qtel – Qatar:
The company maintained its customer base in Qatar to end the
quarter with 2.4 million customers against 2.4 million in Q1 2011. Revenue
increased by 6.4 percent year-on-year to stand at QR1.5 billion from 1.4
billion Q1 2011. EBITDA performance showed an increase of 2.8 percent
year-on-year to QR 798 million from QR 776.2 million in Q1 2011.
Indosat – Indonesia:
Market conditions in Indonesia have remained challenging
throughout the first quarter of the year. However during this time, Indosat has
been able to continue to grow its customer base, maintain revenues and increase
EBITDA margins. Indosat’s customer base increased 13.2 percent to 52.3 million against
46.2 million in Q1 2011. Indosat Q1 2012 revenue stabilized at QR 2.0 billion compared
with QR 2 billion in Q1 2011. EBITDA during the period increased 3.7 percent
year-on-year to end Q1 2012 at QR989.9 million from QR 954.3 million in Q1 2011.
Wataniya Telecom:
Wataniya Telecom encompasses the Qtel Group’s businesses in
Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Maldives and Palestine.
Kuwait, experiencing a competitive domestic market, saw customer growth of 3.1
percent in Q1 2012, and a revenue decline of 7.1 percent. Wataniya domestic
EBITDA in the first three months of 2012 stood at QR 322.1 million against QR
390 million in Q1 2011, a decrease of 17.5 percent. Nedjma in Algeria delivered
another excellent performance. Revenue in Q1 2012 increased by 21 percent to QR
799.6 million compared to QR 661 million in Q1 2011.
Tunisiana
It demonstrated that, even in a difficult economic
environment, it can hold its ground against the competition and deliver good
performance. The number of customers in Tunisia stood at 6.8 million, up 14
percent over 2011, fuelling revenues of QR 645.9 million, 10.5 percent growth over
Q1 2011. Wataniya Mobile Palestine achieved another key milestone, achieving
more than half a million customers and increasing revenue by 27.5 percent to QR
72.5 million.
Asiacell – Iraq:
Asiacell’s ongoing investments in both network quality and
service innovations continue to translate into strong brand recognition,
excellent customer satisfaction scores and sustained financial growth. Customer
numbers have maintained their upward trend, rising 13 percent during the first
quarter to end Q1 2012 at 9.4 million as compared with 8.3 million in Q1 2011.
Revenue increased year-on-year by 19.2 percent, to end the quarter at QR 1.6
billion against QR 1.4 billion in Q1 2011. Asiacell’s first quarter EBITDA was QR
915.4 million against QR 778 million in Q1 2011, growing 17.7 percent.
Nawras – Oman:
In the first quarter, Nawras saw the competitive environment
in Oman remain challenging. At the same time, continued lower SMS usage was
only partially offset by increasing VOIP and data growth. At the end of March
2012, Nawras’ customer base stood at 2 million customers against 1.9 million in
Q1 2011. Revenue generated from this base decreased by 2.5 percent during the
period to QR 461.4 million as compared with QR 473.1 million in Q1 2011 and
EBITDA stood at QR 228.6 million, a reduction of 5.6 percent compared to the
previous year.
