Optus adds 212,000 new mobile customers

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 08 February 2006 22:13

IT Industry - Strategy

SingTel Optus acquired 212,000 net new customers in the three months to 31 December, 2005 taking its total to 6.30 million, according to figures released by its parent, SingTel.

Releasing the figures ahead of its results announcement for the nine months to 31 December (to be made today, 8 February) SingTel said this growth has been achieved despite intense competition in the Australian mobile market.

In Singapore, SingTel added 20,000 new customers to increase its subscriber base to 1.62 million. It said these were divided roughly equally between pre and post-paid. SingTel had approximately 55,000 3G customers as at 31 December 2005. Optus 3G numbers were not disclosed.

SingTel said that, as at 31 December 2005, it and its associates had 77.79 million mobile customers, a 26 percent increase from a year ago and "the largest mobile customer base in Asia outside of China."

On a proportionate basis (taking a percentage of an operator's customer base equal to SingTel's equity share of that operator) SingTel's subscriber base in the seven markets – Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – increased 22 per cent from a year ago to cross the 30 million mark to about 31 million.