Vodafone Qatar has invested more than QR150mn in its network infrastructure in six months up to September, which included the “continued upgrade” of all of its network sites, reaching them at the forefront of technology, chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani al-Thani has said.
“We have improved our 3G and 4G coverage and further increased capacity, which has produced a significantly better customer experience on both voice and data services. A special focus has been on increasing the capacity in the most populated areas in Qatar and in time for the desert camping season, 21 sites have been activated in the most popular camping areas. We are committed to continually investing in Qatar’s ICT sector, which will play a key role in realising the Qatar National Vision 2030,” Sheikh Khalid said.
Announcing the telecom major’s financial results for six months up to September, Sheikh Khalid said, “On a year-on-year basis, Vodafone Qatar’s performance for the half-year reflects the full impact of the aggressive price competition on our customer ARPUs and revenue. However, in the quarter to September, we are seeing positive trends and expect stronger results in the second half of the year.
“For instance, our postpaid customers have grown by nearly 50% thanks to our network enhancements and competitive postpaid portfolio, including Qatari Red, 10 times more data on all Red plans, and the best roaming pack in Qatar that were all launched during this half year.”
The average revenue per user (ARPU) in the mobile segment was QR111; which was a 13% year-on year drop, but stable compared to the previous quarter (that ended in June 2015).
The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) stood at QR211mn for the period; 29% lower year-on-year, and representing an EBITDA margin of 20%, Vodafone Qatar said.
Vodafone’s customer base increased 8% year-on-year to 1.486mn in September.