SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - The number of subscribers to the cellphone services of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) and its associate companies overseas had grown to 136.35 million by the end of June from 92.42 million a year before, SingTel said Monday.
It said its Indian associate, Bharti, had increased its subscriber base by 85 percent to 42.7 million, making the company its the fastest-growing associate.
Indonesian associate Telkomsel increased its subscriber base by 46 percent to 42.8 million.
SingTel also has associates in Thailand and the Philippines.
Its cellphone service associates are expected to continue to be the main drivers of growth in its earnings for its financial first quarter ended June, offsetting sluggish growth in Singapore and Australia.
SingTel, Southeast Asia's biggest telecommunications company, is expected to announce its first-quarter results tomorrow. Two analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect SingTel to report a net profit in the range of 856-877 million Singapore dollars, compared to 840 million dollars a year before.
(1 US dollar = 1.52 Singapore dollars)
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