KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): Maxis Bhd's net profit rose 38% to RM468 million in its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2015 (4QFY15) from RM339 million a year earlier as service revenue grew.
In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, mobile telecommunication network provider Maxis said revenue rose to RM2.18 billion from RM2.12 billion.
Maxis said in a separate statement that despite price-focused competition, service revenue grew 3.2% to RM2.16 billion from RM2.09 billion.
Maxis chief executive officer Morten Lundal said in the statement that he was "truly positive to what lies ahead" as the company had built a strong foundation to grow further.
"2015 was a winning year for us. We grew both in revenues and profits, year on year, and won market shares. Our modernised network now covers nearly 90% of population while our 4G LTE network has more than doubled to 71% of population coverage, making us the leader with the fastest and widest in the country.
"All in all, our intense focus on unmatched customer experience and to provide the best network for data is rewarded with happier customers. We have the highest customer satisfaction we have ever seen in various channels and our customer complaint level is now at its lowest in a decade," Lundal said.
Maxis' full-year 2015 (FY15) net profit increased from a year earlier. According to its filing to the exchange, net profit increased to RM1.74 billion from RM1.72 billion.
Revenue was higher at RM8.6 billion versus RM8.39 billion. Maxis declared an interim tax-free dividend of five sen per share for the quarter in review, bringing the full-year payout to 20 sen per share.
On FY16 prospects, Maxis said it would stay focused on maintaining its strong market position in an increasingly competitive and challenging economic environment.
"Consequently, for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2016, we expect service revenue, absolute EBITDA and base capital expenditure at similar levels to financial year 2015," the company said.
At 12:30pm today, Maxis shares rose 20 sen or 3% to RM6.14 for a market capitalisation of RM46.11 billion.
The stock saw some four million shares done.