Dtac profit up 35 per cent

According to its filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, DTAC gained an additional 780,425 net customers in the period, taking its customer base to 18.2 million.

Revenues in the third quarter increased by 2.3 per cent from the same period last year to Bt16.7 billion.

DTAC chief executive Tore Johnsen said the third quarter had seen the effect of weak economic sentiment taking a toll on consumer confidence and spending. In addition, floods in many areas of the country during the third quarter also had an adverse impact, as seen from the slowdown in net additional subscribers.

The firm remains cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year.

A telecom analyst said yesterday that the telecom sector would feel the real impact of the global economic slowdown this quarter.

DTAC expects revenue growth revised downward to 5 per cent this year, from the previous forecast of 10 per cent, due to the slowing economy.

The company is on track to launch the 3G mobile broadband service on its 850 MHz frequency band as planned in the second quarter of 2009 and is in the process of selecting a network equipment provider. Among potential suppliers are Ericsson, Nokia-Siemens and Huawei Technologies.