Bharti net soars 43%

Aided by strong subscriber additions, Bharti Tele-Ventures today reported a 43 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 521 crore for July-September 2005, against Rs 364 crore during the second quarter of the previous year.

The company's consolidated revenue rose 46 per cent to Rs 2,709 crore during the second quarter this year, compared with Rs 1,851 crore during the corresponding period last year.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were up by 47 per cent to Rs 1,021 crore from Rs 693 crore during the quarter-ended September 2004.

The company had a little over 15 million subscribers at the end of September 2005, 60 per cent higher than the customer base it had at the end of September 2004.

Bharti's average revenue per user (ARPU) at the end of September 2005 was estimated at Rs 476 a month against around Rs 410 in the corresponding period last year, according to a company spokesperson. The industry ARPU has come down from Rs 400 a month to Rs 398 a month.

For the half-year ending September 2005, the company reported a 71 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 1,031 crore, against Rs 602 crore during April-September 2005. Total revenue rose 47 per cent during the period to Rs 5,226 crore, and the EBITDA increased 49 per cent to Rs 1,962 crore, a Bharti release said.