Own Correspondent: Grameenphone recorded a revenue of Tk 3,734.8 crore in the first three months of 2023, which is 2.8 percent higher than the same period of the previous year. 1 million new subscribers joined Grameenphone in the first three months, resulting in Grameenphone’s subscriber base standing at 81.1 million at the end of the first quarter of the year. 54.3 percent of Grameenphone’s total subscribers are using Internet services, a decrease of 0.2 percent from last quarter.
Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman told The Crime, ‘Last year Grameenphone celebrated 25 years of serving customers and empowering society in Bangladesh. We entered the year 2023 with this milestone. On 2 January 2023 and at the end of six months, the regulatory body lifted the ban on Grameenphone SIM sales after repeated assessments of Grameenphone’s network capacity and customer satisfaction. After the resumption of our SIM sales, our subscriber base returned to growth and we achieved the milestone of 8 crore subscribers.”
He added, “Our continued network investment has led to significant progress in launching waves and sites. We have doubled our fiber connectivity and launched more than 20 thousand sites in total. This laid the foundation for a future-proof data network, enabling us to deliver an enhanced experience to our customers and establish the number one network in the country.
He said, “We have taken significant steps to enhance the product portfolio – making it more convenient and more convenient for customers.” This was necessary to ensure that our services are more customer-centric and efficient and to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Our ongoing modernization and transformation journey is beginning to yield positive results, leveraging our capabilities, expertise, tools and partnerships to build a future-proof organization. We will continue to work tirelessly to contribute to our future growth.”
Grameenphone Limited Chief Financial Officer Jens Becker told The Crime, “Grameenphone continues to deliver strong financial results in the first quarter of 2023. Grameenphone has achieved eight consecutive quarters of overall positive growth and EBITDA growth amid headwinds such as rising inflation, rising fuel prices and dwindling foreign exchange reserves. Total revenue rose 2.8 percent to Tk 3,734.8 crore in the quarter due to 2.7 percent growth in daily subscription and traffic revenue.
Data revenue grew by 14.2 percent year-on-year due to increased usage, which was the main driver behind subscription and traffic revenue growth,” he said. “Grameenphone’s EBITDA grew by 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2023 with a margin of 61 percent. The net profit for this quarter was Tk 779.7 crore with a margin of 20.9 percent.
He further said that higher depreciation of wave acquisition last year, new site launch and higher finance cost impacted net profit year-on-year. Grameenphone invested Tk 691.23 crore in capital expenditure (excluding licences, leases and ARO) during the quarter, focusing on 4G network, coverage expansion and wave deployment. The company contributed Rs 2,400 crore to the government exchequer in the first three months of 2023 in taxes, VAT, duties, fees, forge licenses and wave allocations, which is 64.1 per cent of its total revenue.”
