1
23 WWW.ECONOMICTIMES.COM Economy: Macro, Micro & More “While the revenue fall is not drastic due to launch of unli- mited low-price data and voice plans in mid-March, profitabi- lity is clearly impacted,” said Prashant Singhal, global tele- com leader at EY. Bharti Airtel shares gained 1.8% to . `427.60 at close on the BSE on Tuesday, after tou- ching a 52-week high of . `431 earlier in the day. The results were announced after the mar- kets closed. In Africa, the telco reported a profit of $52 million compa- red with a loss of $78 million a year ago, helped by growth in data customers and con- sumption. India continued to be a worry. Reliance Jio, backed by India’s richest person Mukesh Amba- ni, started commercial opera- tions on September 5 with free voice and data offers that con- tinued till March end. Altho- ugh Jio has started charging for its data services, prices are below market rates and voice remains free on its network. The company said last week it plans to launch a 4G feature phone that will be offered ef- fectively free of cost. “Their focus appears to be more on customer market sha- re rather than revenue market share, which is a positive for Bharti as it will be able to mo- netise its high-value custo- mers in metros and tier-I mar- kets as Jio’s focus will be pri- marily on tier-II and III city customers,” said Pankaj Agra- wal, partner at telecom and media consultancy Capitel. Jio’s rivals were forced to slash effective data rates and offer free voice calling on some plans across price segments, hurting key operational indi- cators such as average revenue per user (ARPU) and average revenue per minute (ARPM). The price cuts helped widen Airtel’s India data user base, but hurt revenue per user and were a drag on the pace of reve- nue growth from mobile broad- band, expected to be the mains- tay as the voice business slows. Lower-priced and even free vo- ice offerings helped to increase minutes on the network. India ARPU for voice and da- ta combined fell 2% on quar- ter. Separately, voice and data ARPUs fell 2.5% and 4% on quarter, respectively, while realised rates for both servi- ces plunged 9.5% and 51.1%, with the drop in data rates sharper than in the January- March period. The company’s data customer base grew 9.1% on quarter, in- creasing data usage per user by 96.2% on quarter. Data now ac- counts for 21.9% of the carrier’s India mobile revenue, compa- red with 21.5% in the previous quarter. Mobile data revenue accounted for 17.1% of total re- venue compared with 18.2% a year ago. Overall mobile data revenue during the quarter fell 18.8% on year. Airtel said the percentage of users leaving the network rose to 3.8% from 3.6% in the Janu- ary-March period due to com- petitive pressures. Quarterly net interest cost rose to Rs 1,789 crore from Rs 1,631 crore a year ago, mainly on account of increased spec- trum-related interest costs, dragging net profit further. Fo- rex and derivative loss narro- wed to Rs 39 crore from a loss of Rs 309 crore a year earlier. Consolidated net debt total- led $13.6 billion compared with $14.09 billion in the pre- vious quarter and $12.37 bil- lion a year ago. The margin of earnings befo- re interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) contracted to 35.6% from 36.4% in the previous quarter, hurt by the fall in revenue even as expenses rose. Bharti Airtel’s net profit of $52 million in Africa was on marginal growth in revenue to $736 million, also helped by currency appreciation. “Organic revenue growth for the quarter was 1.5% Y-o-Y, though our efforts to optimise unprofitable revenue streams resulted in higher net revenue growth of 3.3%. New KYC norms impacted customer ad- ditions and consequently re- venue growth in the quarter,” said Raghunath Mandava, MD, Africa. He said data consumption and revenue increased by 75% and 11.3%, respectively, on ye- ar. “Our focus to deliver a more profitable business model for Africa has resulted in another quarter of EBITDA margin improvement, with underly- ing margins expanding by 8.1% on year from 19.9% to 28.0%,” he added. ‘Revenue Fall Not Drastic, but Profitability Impacted’ From Page 1 Sebi has every right to ask a listed company to disclose to the stock exchange its inability to service a loan. Typically, a bank declares an account as a non-performing asset 90 days after the default. That’s a long time in the financial market. Companies can be given a grace period of, say, 30 days, after the default to make the disclosure to stock exchanges. This will enhance transparency and, in turn, help investors take a call on the stock. VIEW A Matter of Right Also “making such disclosures mandatory ensures asymmetry of information is avoided. It helps market participants to correctly price bonds and bond derivatives on the company.” The government and RBI have taken a series of measures to re- solve banks’ bad debts, which are seen as a threat to India’s econo- mic health. Sebi, too, has taken several steps in this regard. Sebi last week asked listed banks to make disclosures if pro- visioning and NPAs assessed by RBI exceeded 15% of published financials. Recently, Sebi asked credit rating agencies to seek in- formation from companies on the servicing of debt obligations and disclose this immediately. “Disclosures are always welco- me in a disclosure-based regi- me,” said Sudhir Bassi, executi- ve director, capital markets, Khaitan & Co, a leading law firm. “However... due considera- tion should be given that any temporary delay should not be a reporting event. Hence, if a debt payment is (delayed) for say two or three months, then it should be a disclosure requirement.” Banks are saddled with over . ` 12 lakh crore of stressed loans. This includes restructured debt, of which NPAs account for more than . `7 lakh crore. Some experts urged caution when making jud- gement calls on such informa- tion. “All demands for disclosure must be tempered with the value that they may deliver and also by the factor that wrong interpreta- tion can be made by not fully un- derstood disclosures,” said Shai- lesh Haribhakti, founder, Baker Tilly DHC, an advisory firm. Measures to Curb Banks’ Bad Debt From Page 1 ET ARCHIVES

Revenue Fall Not Drastic, but Profitability Impacted’...Reliance Jio, backed by India’s richest person Mukesh Amba-ni, started commercial opera-tions on September 5 with free voice

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Page 1: Revenue Fall Not Drastic, but Profitability Impacted’...Reliance Jio, backed by India’s richest person Mukesh Amba-ni, started commercial opera-tions on September 5 with free voice

23�WWW.ECONOMICTIMES.COM

Economy: Macro, Micro & More

“While the revenue fall is notdrastic due to launch of unli-mited low-price data and voiceplans in mid-March, profitabi-lity is clearly impacted,” saidPrashant Singhal, global tele-com leader at EY.

Bharti Airtel shares gained1.8% to .̀ 427.60 at close on theBSE on Tuesday, after tou-ching a 52-week high of .̀ 431earlier in the day. The resultswere announced after the mar-kets closed.

In Africa, the telco reporteda profit of $52 million compa-red with a loss of $78 million ayear ago, helped by growth indata customers and con-sumption.

India continued to be a worry.Reliance Jio, backed by India’srichest person Mukesh Amba-ni, started commercial opera-tions on September 5 with freevoice and data offers that con-tinued till March end. Altho-ugh Jio has started chargingfor its data services, prices arebelow market rates and voiceremains free on its network.The company said last week itplans to launch a 4G featurephone that will be offered ef-fectively free of cost.

“Their focus appears to bemore on customer market sha-re rather than revenue marketshare, which is a positive forBharti as it will be able to mo-netise its high-value custo-mers in metros and tier-I mar-kets as Jio’s focus will be pri-marily on tier-II and III citycustomers,” said Pankaj Agra-wal, partner at telecom andmedia consultancy Capitel.

Jio’s rivals were forced toslash effective data rates andoffer free voice calling on someplans across price segments,hurting key operational indi-cators such as average revenueper user (ARPU) and averagerevenue per minute (ARPM).

The price cuts helped widenAirtel’s India data user base,

but hurt revenue per user andwere a drag on the pace of reve-nue growth from mobile broad-band, expected to be the mains-tay as the voice business slows.Lower-priced and even free vo-ice offerings helped to increaseminutes on the network.

India ARPU for voice and da-ta combined fell 2% on quar-ter. Separately, voice and dataARPUs fell 2.5% and 4% onquarter, respectively, whilerealised rates for both servi-ces plunged 9.5% and 51.1%,with the drop in data ratessharper than in the January-March period.

The company’s data customerbase grew 9.1% on quarter, in-creasing data usage per user by96.2% on quarter. Data now ac-counts for 21.9% of the carrier’sIndia mobile revenue, compa-red with 21.5% in the previousquarter. Mobile data revenueaccounted for 17.1% of total re-venue compared with 18.2% ayear ago. Overall mobile datarevenue during the quarter fell18.8% on year.

Airtel said the percentage ofusers leaving the network roseto 3.8% from 3.6% in the Janu-ary-March period due to com-petitive pressures.

Quarterly net interest costrose to Rs 1,789 crore from Rs1,631 crore a year ago, mainlyon account of increased spec-trum-related interest costs,dragging net profit further. Fo-

rex and derivative loss narro-wed to Rs 39 crore from a loss ofRs 309 crore a year earlier.

Consolidated net debt total-led $13.6 billion comparedwith $14.09 billion in the pre-vious quarter and $12.37 bil-lion a year ago.

The margin of earnings befo-re interest, tax, depreciationand amortisation (EBITDA)contracted to 35.6% from36.4% in the previous quarter,hurt by the fall in revenueeven as expenses rose.

Bharti Airtel’s net profit of$52 million in Africa was onmarginal growth in revenue to$736 million, also helped bycurrency appreciation.

“Organic revenue growth forthe quarter was 1.5% Y-o-Y,though our efforts to optimiseunprofitable revenue streamsresulted in higher net revenuegrowth of 3.3%. New KYCnorms impacted customer ad-ditions and consequently re-venue growth in the quarter,”said Raghunath Mandava,MD, Africa.

He said data consumptionand revenue increased by 75%and 11.3%, respectively, on ye-ar. “Our focus to deliver a moreprofitable business model forAfrica has resulted in anotherquarter of EBITDA marginimprovement, with underly-ing margins expanding by8.1% on year from 19.9% to28.0%,” he added.

‘Revenue Fall Not Drastic,but Profitability Impacted’��From Page 1

Sebi has every right to ask a listed company to disclose to the

stock exchange its inability to service a loan. Typically, a bank

declares an account as a non-performing asset 90 days after the

default. That’s a long time in the financial market. Companies can be given a grace

period of, say, 30 days, after the default to make the disclosure to stock exchanges.

This will enhance transparency and, in turn, help investors take a call on the stock.

VIEW

A Matter of Right Also “making such disclosuresmandatory ensures asymmetryof information is avoided. It helpsmarket participants to correctlyprice bonds and bond derivativeson the company.”

The government and RBI havetaken a series of measures to re-solve banks’ bad debts, which areseen as a threat to India’s econo-mic health. Sebi, too, has takenseveral steps in this regard.

Sebi last week asked listedbanks to make disclosures if pro-visioning and NPAs assessed by

RBI exceeded 15% of publishedfinancials. Recently, Sebi askedcredit rating agencies to seek in-formation from companies onthe servicing of debt obligationsand disclose this immediately.

“Disclosures are always welco-me in a disclosure-based regi-me,” said Sudhir Bassi, executi-

ve director, capital markets,Khaitan & Co, a leading lawfirm. “However... due considera-tion should be given that anytemporary delay should not be areporting event. Hence, if a debtpayment is (delayed) for say twoor three months, then it shouldbe a disclosure requirement.”

Banks are saddled with over .̀12lakh crore of stressed loans. Thisincludes restructured debt, of

which NPAs account for morethan .̀ 7 lakh crore. Some expertsurged caution when making jud-gement calls on such informa-tion. “All demands for disclosuremust be tempered with the valuethat they may deliver and also bythe factor that wrong interpreta-tion can be made by not fully un-derstood disclosures,” said Shai-lesh Haribhakti, founder, BakerTilly DHC, an advisory firm.

Measures to Curb Banks’ Bad Debt��From Page 1

ET ARCHIVES