Performance driven by solid postpaid and data growth, supported by solid operational efficiency
SUBANG JAYA, 22 April 2019 - Digi.com Berhad (Digi) recorded healthy earnings in Q1 2019 having continued to make stronger inroads into Malaysia's postpaid market and increased internet adoption on its network that now serves 11.3 million customers. Q1 2019 service revenue1 stood at RM1,441 million with EBITDA at RM723 million or 48% margin while ops cash flow was healthy at RM555 million or 37% margin, fuelled by the company's good traction on financial management.
In the quarter, the company invested RM168 million capex for IT and network capacity upgrades, fibre network expansion, and deployment of Network Function Virtualisation (NFV). Network population coverage now stands at 4G LTE: 89% and LTE-A: 67% supported by 8,400km of fibre network.
The company added 50,000 customers to its postpaid base, now totalling 2.9 million customers. Postpaid revenue1 grew 13.5% y-on-y to RM671 million while postpaid internet revenue rose 25.3% y-on-y to RM461 million. Postpaid ARPU remained steady at RM71 supported by plan upgrades and ARPU increase from existing customers while its entry-level postpaid base strengthened.
The company's internet customer base stood healthy at 9.0 million, with customers using 10.2GB of data monthly which drove data traffic volumes up by 51% y-on-y. Internet revenue increased 13.3% y-on-y to RM862 million or 61.9% of service revenue as an effect of higher data usage across segments, 81.4% smartphone base and 21.0 million upsell transactions on MyDigi.
Digi's CEO Albern Murty said, "We have focused on building a strong postpaid portfolio and wide range of internet offerings to give customers full control over their digital experience. We also made strategic decisions to shift the subscriber mix and channel strategy for our prepaid business to drive growth from internet uptake and reduce dependency on legacy voice services. Despite market competition, we are positioning Digi for long-term growth by improving prepaid sustainability, driving further postpaid growth, investing in our network, and creating digital platforms to add value for customers while executing a disciplined strategy focused on growth, efficiency and digital transformation."
Resilient Q1 2019 Financials
RM million 1Q19 4Q18 Q-o-Q Y-o-Y Total revenue 1,509 1,674 (9.9%) (7.4%) Service revenue 1,441 1,482 (2.8%) (2.8%) EBITDA(boi) 723 740 (2.3%) (6.7%) EBITDA margin 48% 44% 3.7pp 0.5pp PAT 366 378 (3.2%) (5.2%)
Key Highlights (Y-o-Y)
Continued investments to deliver quality network experience and innovative digital services to connect customers to what matters most in Q1 2019:
For more on Digi’s Q4 2019 performance, visit www.digi.com.my/investors.
About Digi
Digi is a mobile connectivity and internet services provider enabling 11.3 million Malaysians to get the most benefit out of an increasingly connected world. With a strong legacy of product and service innovation delivered on Malaysia's widest 4G Plus network, Digi has an ambition to become customers' favourite digital partner, providing relevant, personalised and engaging digital products and services that will further enable all Malaysians' digital lifestyles. This is because we believe digital communication empowers everyone to improve their lives, build societies and secure a better future for all. Listed on Bursa Malaysia, Digi is part of global telecommunications provider Telenor Group and is a leader in driving progressive and responsible business practices. For more information about Digi, visit www.digi.com.my.
For media queries, please contact Chew Hwee Yen (hychew@digi.com.my |+6012 395 3398).