KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 17): DiGi.Com Bhd net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2018 rose 2% year-on-year to RM392.54 million from RM384.62 million a year earlier, on the back of a revenue of RM1.60 billion.

Earnings per share was 5.05 sen versus 4.95 sen a year earlier. 

For the nine months ended Sept 30 (9M18), DiGi's net profit came in at RM1.16 billion versus RM1.12 billion, on the back of revenue RM4.85 billion. 

Digi declared a third interim dividend of 5 sen to be paid on Dec 20. 

DiGi said it recorded RM1.48 billion in service revenue and a healthy earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of RM725 million or 46% margin. 

In a statement today, the company said its service revenue and EBITDA came from the increasing data consumption on its network, which fuels the growth across its postpaid and prepaid internet businesses, as well as new digital businesses, and contributing to the company’s expanded 11.8 million subscriber base this 3Q18. 

DiGi said data traffic grew 60% year-on-year (y-o-y) during 3Q18, driving overall internet revenue by 18.4% y-o-y and 1.5% quarter-on-quarter to RM817 million, which constitutes 55.4% of service revenue. 

“The company also reflected strong 4G LTE customer growth to 7.5 million and increased smartphone adoption at 77.4%, with customers using 9.1 gigabyte (GB) on average each month on its network,” the statement reports.

In driving increased internet and digital services uptake among customers, the MyDigi self-serve app has steadily recorded 21.9 million in upsell transactions over a broader base of 2.8 million monthly active users, DiGi added. 

Building on its analytics capabilities, DiGi introduced the app’s new Rewards and Box of Surprise features to better serve its various customer segments with personalised offers and rewards from over 500 brands at 7,000 locations. MyDigi will serve as an important enabler for growth, moving forward, the telco company said.

Meanwhile, DiGi’s chief executive officer (CEO) Albern Murty said it was a “busy quarter” for the company to capture data demand on its network, while maintaining margins in the current market environment. 

“Our strategy is [to] focus on our postpaid, internet and digital capabilities to efficiently deliver high-quality services to customers, while being financially disciplined. 

“We remain deeply committed to enable more Malaysians and businesses to benefit from relevant, affordable mobile and digital services across the country,” he said. 

At afternoon market close today, Digi.com Bhd’s share price rose to 6 sen or 1.36% higher to RM4.46, with 922,200 shares done.