CelcomDigi Berhad’s first half results were more than exceptional recording a service revenue growth of 0.3% to RM5.4 billion coupled with strong subscriber additions of over 391K to 20.48 million. Both EBITDA and Normalised Profit After Tax (PAT) excluding the effects of accelerated depreciation (non-cash items) strengthened 1.8% and 6.5% to RM2.99 billion and RM1.04 billion, delivering industry-leading EBITDA margin of 47.5% and normalised PAT margin of 16.6%.
For the second quarter of FY2023 (Q2 FY2023), service revenue rose marginally by 0.1% Q-Q to RM2,707 million driven by steady growth across core segments; while EBITDA amounted to RM1,480 million with a solid EBITDA margin of 47.4%. Normalised PAT rose +1.7% Q-Q to RM527 million, underscoring resilient underlying profitability growth.
In the quarter under review, CelcomDigi said it ramped up integration activities, and continued investments in network capacity upgrades and IT initiatives to improve customer experience. The company invested RM252 million in CAPEX or 8.1% of total revenue in Q2 FY2023, catering for network capacity upgrades and integration initiatives. As key projects have commenced in June 2023 onwards, the company expects CAPEX to ramp up for the remaining two quarters of FY2023.
The company declared a second interim dividend of 3.2 sen per share, amounting to RM375 million in line with its progressive dividend commitment to shareholders.
The company has completed 60% of its network integration and modernisation plans for 2023, with more than 2,000 sites in 24 clusters consolidated to-date.
CEO Datuk Idham Nawawi said “We remain committed to leading 5G adoption in the country and have put in place initiatives such as the CelcomDigi MY5G CEO roundtable series to help businesses realise the true potential of 5G together. We look forward to unlocking more value and benefits of 5G for consumers and businesses in the coming months,” he shared.
