Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State telecommunication operator PT Telkom Tbk has decided to allocate 55 percent of its last year`s net profit worth Rp11.5 trillion as dividends.

Telkom would pay dividends worth Rp6.34 trillion in total, Telkom President Director Rinaldi Firmansyah said following a general shareholders meeting here on Thursday evening.

The dividends included interim dividends worth Rp526.1 billion paid to shareholders on January 11, 2011, he said.

The shareholders also agreed to buy back Telkom shares worth Rp5.1 trillion, he said.

"There has been an increase in the amount of funds to buy back shares to Rp5 trillion from Rp3 trillion previously," he said.

Telkom Finance Director Sudiro Asno said the buyback program would be carried out in 18 months since the general shareholders meeting was held on Thursday (May 19, 2011).

"The share buyback will be carried out through the purchase of shares at the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange," he said.

He said Rp115.37 billion of the 2010 net profit was allocated for partnership programs and Rp115.37 billion for environmental conservation programs, or 1 percent of the net profit each.

The remaining net profit worth Rp5.1 trillion would be used as retained earning to develop the company`s Telecommunication, Information, Media and Edutaintment (TIME) business, he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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