Batelco Group Operations 2012: Highlights from Overseas Operations 3Q 2012
Overview of Batelco Group’s overseas operations during the third quarter of 2012. Contributing to overall Group subscriber growth was healthy performance throughout the period from key subsidiaries…
Manama, Bahrain: Contributing to overall Batelco Group subscriber growth was healthy performance throughout the period from key subsidiaries where the value of Batelco’s investments abroad have been delivering returns. Batelco is the leading telecom in the Middle East region and also Bahrain‘s largest telecom.
Jordan: Further growth was again reported by Umniah Jordan, Batelco Group‘s 96% owned subsidiary in Jordan, where its successful 3.75G services launch in mid-June 2012 has delivered strong results. Customer response continues to exceed expected demand for the service. Since June nearly 67,000 new subscribers have been added, bringing the Group’s total subscriber base in Jordan to nearly 2.4 million customers. This has supported stable growth year over year and a 2% increase since the end of the second quarter. Even greater uptake of the service is expected throughout the remainder of 2012 with continued nationwide rollout.
Further growth was again reported by Umniah, Batelco Group’s 96% owned subsidiary in Jordan, where its successful 3.75G services launch in mid-June 2012 has delivered strong results… bringing the Group’s total subscriber base in Jordan to nearly 2.4 million customers.
Similarly positive results were reported by Umniah for broadband subscribers. The company posted a strong increase of 308% compared to the corresponding 2011 period and a 283% rise since the start of the year. Further expansion of 3G and WiMax by Umniah will continue to support the growth of the company’s broadband customer base going forward.
Kuwait: Batelco’s subsidiary Qualitynet is one of the top internet service providers in Kuwait (one of the four largest ISPs in Kuwait). Qualitynet, which delivers total ICT solutions to the Kuwait market, maintained market leadership and steady subscriber numbers for the first nine 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 Batelco Group has a minority shareholding, showed growth again this quarter with subscriber numbers reaching more than 3.8 million users. It has reported growth of 22% since the start of the year and 7% since last quarter. Year over year, however, customer numbers were down by 8% as a result of revisions to the customer base which have been noted and were undertaken during the first quarter of 2012 in order to exclude non-active sim cards. These declines have now been reversed and further stabilization in the country will continue to support a return to historical growth levels for the company throughout the remainder of the year.
Atheeb (Saudi Arabia), in which Batelco holds a 15% stake, reported an 11% decline in voice and data services customers for the first nine months of the year when compared to the corresponding 2011 period, however, numbers remained steady on a quarter-over-quarter basis. Not only has this allowed Atheeb to build a solid subscriber base of more than 102,000 users, it has also enabled the company to increase its revenues as higher value business customers come to constitute a greater proportion of its client base.
This press release has been issued by Batelco Corporate Affairs department. For further information, please contact Batelco Public Relations Office at Public.Relations@btc.com.bh / Fax +973 17611898.