"The income from data services was fueled by an increase in Indosat circuit products."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State telecommunications operator PT Indosat Tbk said the number of its cellular subscribers in the first quarter of 2012 increased by 14 percent to 52.1 million from the same period last year.

"The increase in the number of Indosat cellular subscribers is attributable to the public`s growing confidence in Indosat products, including income from tower rentals," Indosat President Director Harry Sasongko said after a general meeting of Indosat shareholders and public expose here Monday.

The number of cellular subscribers from March 2011 to March 2012 increased by 6.4 million, he said.

With the achievement, Indosat held a 21.7 percent share of the domestic cellular market after Telkomsel, he said.

He said income from cellular services in the first quarter of 2012 rose 3 percent to Rp4.079 trillion from Rp3.960 trillion in the same period last year.

"Cellular services alone contributed 82 percent or Rp4.079 trillion of the overall income in the first quarter of 2012 reaching Rp4.977 trillion," he said.

Meanwhile, data services reached Rp672.3 billion, a 13.7 percent increase compared to Rp591 billion in the same period a year earlier, he said.

"The income from data services was fueled by an increase in Indosat circuit products," he said.

However, income from fixed wireless access (FWA) fell 30.2 percent to Rp224.9 billion in the first quarter of 2012 from Rp322.4 billion in the same period a year ago, he said.

Indosat`s earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the year to March 2012 reached Rp2.337 trillion, up 3.6 percent from the same period last year, with an EBITDA margin of 47 percent, he said.

Indosat plans to allocate US$700 million (Rp6.6 trillion) for capital expenditures this year.

To support its cellular and FWA services, Indosat has 19,253 base transceiver stations (BTS) to serve 441 cities (2G), 156 cities (3G/3, 5G) and 162 (FWA) in the country`s 33 provinces.
(Uu.S012/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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