Robi closed the first quarter of this year (Q1'24) with strong data-led growth momentum, despite macroeconomic challenges and a highly competitive market landscape. The industry's highest 4G adoption rate is providing Robi with a competitive edge in this regard.
As part of the company's drive to strengthen its network, Robi has added 577 new 4G sites in Q1'24. Such a focused drive to improve the quality of services has resulted in Robi having more than 81% of its data customers as 4G users, which is the highest in the industry, reads a press release.
Robi's revenue for the quarter reached Tk2,516.2 crore following a 7.2% jump from a year ago. During this period, the data revenue shot up by 25.7%, indicating strong data-led growth momentum. Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) rose by 16% over the last year to reach Tk1,220.2 crore in Q1’24, with a healthy margin of 48.5%. Profit After Tax (PAT) in Q1’24 stood at 106.7 crore taka with earnings per share (EPS) of Tk0.20.
Robi’s active subscriber base reached 5 crore 81 lakhs at the end of Q1’24. Its internet subscriber base stood at 4 crore 36 lakhs, and the 4G subscriber base stood at 3 crore 55 lakhs at that same point in time. More than 75% of Robi’s active subscriber base are data users—another highest in the industry.
Robi contributed Tk1,605.5 crore to the government exchequer in Q1’24, which was 63.8% of the company’s revenue for the quarter. The capital investment for Q1’24 stood at Tk366.2 crore.
Commenting on the business climate, Robi’s Managing Director and CEO, Rajeev Sethi, said, “We are observing that the macroeconomic conditions and high inflation are impacting the usage patterns of our users. This comes on the heels of the stagnant state of smartphone device penetration growth. It may be noted that Bangladesh has a lot of room for growth in terms of data consumption when we look at the neighboring countries. What we need is immediate policy intervention to unlock the growth potential amidst the trying state of the economy.”
Commenting on the company’s ongoing drive to improve the quality of services, he added, “The aspect I am particularly proud of is the fact that our network development initiatives are translating into marked improvements in the quality of services experienced by our customers.
Within the last year, we have increased our average data speed by over 100%. What is particularly noteworthy is that this improvement was achieved by ensuring consistent data speed across the network and countrywide coverage. Similarly, our call drop rate has improved remarkably over the last year. We are confident that our sustained focus on enhancing the quality of services will only make our data-led growth model more effective in the market.”
