TAIPEI: Chunghwa Telecom Co, the nation’s biggest telecom operator, yesterday reported a 15.4 percent annual growth in its net profit for last month, due to fast growth in 4G subscriptions and robust sales of the iPhone 6S series.
Net profit rose to NT$3.26 billion (US$98.74 million) last month from NT$2.83 billion in November last year. That brought the company’s total net profits to NT$39.82 billion in the first 11 months of the year, surpassing its forecast of NT$37.5 billion in net profit for the year.
Revenue rose 6.2 percent year-on-year to NT$20.76 billion last month, with cumulative revenue up 2.5 percent to NT$210.69 billion from the same period last year, paving the way for the company to outpace its full-year projection of NT$231.09 billion in revenue.
“Growth in 4G subscriptions and in mobile Internet users boosted mobile revenue in November,” Chugnwha Telecom said in the statement.
“In addition, strong sales of the iPhone 6S series also helped increase revenue,” the company said.
Mobile revenue, the biggest revenue source, climbed 4 percent year-on-year to NT$10.63 billion last month, the company said.
The number of 4G subscribers expanded to 4.11 million at the end of last month from 3.84 million in October, it said.
Taiwan Mobile Co, the nation’s No. 2 telecom operator, reported a 22 percent annual growth in net profit for last month at NT$1.2 billion, while revenue last month contracted 1.27 percent to NT$10.05 billion from a year earlier.
Taiwan Mobile spokesperson Rosie Yu attributed the profit growth to “stable expansion in 4G business, and a decrease in handset subsidies and other costs.”
In the first 11 months, net profit rose 1.79 percent year-on-year to NT$14.2 billion, approaching Taiwan Mobile’s full-year financial target of NT$14.3 billion in net profit.
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co, the nation’s third-largest carrier, reported net profit of NT$743 million last month, an annual growth of 8.47 percent.
From January to last month, net profit totaled NT$10.78 billion, slightly down from NT$10.81 billion in the same period last year.
Revenue last month was little changed at NT$8.44 billion, a rise in total revenue for the first 11 months to NT$88.87 billion, up 4.27 percent annually, the company said.
Separately, Chunghwa Telecom said it has started offering free Internet roaming services for its subscribers traveling in China in collaboration with China Mobile Ltd .
China Mobile operates 4 million Wi-Fi hot-spots in China.
