BTCL revenues reach P1.4bn as mobile data traffic jumps 300%
Mbongeni Mguni | Wednesday September 8, 2021 17:31
The Corporation’s revenues rose one percent to P1.43 billion in the year to March 2021, while pretax profits jumped 19% to P165.8 million.
In commentaries accompanying the group’s 2021 Annual Report released today, the directors explained that the growth came off a trend associated with the impact of COVID-19 which saw business and individual customers adopting data-based ways of communication and using platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp calling.
BTCL’s overall revenues from mobile, which includes voice-calls, grew by eight percent to P452.4 million in the year, powered by higher earnings from mobile data. Directors noted a drop in voice traffic and revenue alongside a spike towards data, as consumers shifted the platforms they used to communicate as a result of the pandemic.
The growth in mobile revenues broke a three-year decline that occurred even with the introduction of new products and services, the extensive capital expenditure and other initiatives launched.
Overall, fixed data was the BTCL’s largest contributor to revenue, followed by mobile.
“The trend is expected to continue in the future driven by the monetisation of significant investments in fixed and mobile broadband infrastructure in support of high-speed internet services at homes and offices across most parts of the country,” the directors said.