Batelco Group Overseas Operations in 2012
The first six months of the year saw sound performance for the Batelco Group in key overseas markets, where the value of recent investments are being realized and serving to positively impact results.
Batelco international strategy in the first half of 2012 | Progress in Overseas operation in the first half of 2012
Jordan: Significant strides were made at Umniah, the Group’s 96% owned subsidiary in Jordan, where 3.75G services were successfully launched in mid-June 2012. Customer response, in just a few short weeks, has exceeded demands for the service. 11,000 new customers have already been added, bringing the Group’s total subscriber base in Jordan to more than 2.3 million. This accounts for 1% growth year over year and a 2% increase quarter over quarter. With the continued rollout nationwide of 3.75G services during 2012, which will ensure faster and more reliable transfer of data as well as well instant Multimedia Services (MMS), even stronger uptake and an increase in subscriber numbers is expected.
Growth was also achieved by Umniah in its broadband customer base. The company posted a strong increase of 33% compared to the corresponding 2011 period and has grown its subscriber numbers by 17% since the start of the year. With the solid uptake of WiMax further expansion of Umniah’s broadband user base is expected to continue.
Significant strides were made at Umniah, the Group’s 96% owned subsidiary in Jordan, where 3.75G services were successfully launched in mid-June 2012.
Kuwait: Batelco’s subsidiary Qualitynet, which delivers total ICT solutions to the Kuwait telecom market, maintained market leadership and steady subscriber numbers for the first six months of 2012 when compared to the 2011 period and quarter over quarter. This totalled approximately 40,000 users of the company’s Data Communications and Internet Services.
Other JVs: Sabafon (Yemen), in which the Group has a minority shareholding, continued to make progress throughout the six month period. Year over year, its customer base of more than 3.5M subscribers remained stable. Importantly, the company registered 4% growth quarter over quarter, effectively reversing a decline in subscriber numbers during the first quarter of 2012 as a result of revisions to its customer base to exclude non-active sim cards. With a marked reduction in conflict in the country and the return to almost normal operating conditions, further expansion of the customer base is anticipated throughout the remainder of 2012.
Atheeb (Saudi Arabia), in which Batelco holds a 15% stake, reported a 15% decline in voice and data services customers for the first half of the year when compared to the corresponding 2011 period and 9% decrease quarter over quarter. Despite a lower number of subscribers, which now stands at 102,000, the company’s revenues increased as a result of the addition of a number of new higher value business customers. This is in line with Atheeb’s recently announced strategic shift which has seen the company turn its focus to the business sector where considerable opportunities exist for customer and revenue growth in the coming periods.
This press release has been issued by Batelco Corporate Affairs department.
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