Bangkok--8 May--Thaicom
Thaicom Strengthens Q1 2015 PerformanceMoving Forwards with "Connecting the Future" Strategy
Thaicom, one of Asia’s leading satellite operators, today released its operating results for Quarter 1 of 2015, recording a consolidated net profit of 540 million Baht – a 35.3 per cent increase when compared with results from the first quarter of 2014.
For the same period in 2015, consolidated revenue from the sale of goods and rendering of services totaled 3,074 million Baht, an increase of 229 million Baht (8.0 per cent) compared to 2,845 million Baht in Quarter 1 of 2014.
The revenue growth achieved mainly came from Thaicom’s satellite, Internet services and media businesses, as well as efficient selling and administrative expense control. A consolidated net profit of Baht 540 million, an increase of Baht 141 million or 35.3% from Q1/2014. Thaicom will now move forward with its strategy for 2015, “Connecting the Future”, which will connect all key parts of the business connected. More HD channels will also be made available to Thaicom customers and further developments in UHD will be made throughout 2015.
Suphajee Suthumpun, Chief Executive Officer at Thaicom, said: “The first quarter of 2015 has been another solid quarter for Thaicom and resulted in an operating profit (EBIT), mainly due to revenue growth from THAICOM-7 which has been generating income since November 2014. Our value-added services, for example, teleport services including tape playout and digital signal compression, and sales of satellite equipment to broadcasting satellite operators have also contributed to these results.”
As well as its continued growth and outstanding operating results, Thaicom is proud to have gained recognition from both domestic and internal markets, including the “CEO Award” in the Investment Analysts Association “IAA Awards for Listed Companies 2014”. Thaicom also received certification from The Thai Institute of Directors Association (IOD) in recognition of Thaicom’s commitment to anti-corruption in its business practices with transparency, integrity and Fairness based on the Corporate Governance foundation, the “ESG100” award (ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance) from Thaipat Institute as one of the 100 companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand which has a prominent sustainable business operations in terms of environmental, social and good governance, the "Excellence Awards 2014-CSR Award" from the Satellite Award 2015 ceremony, hosted by leading global satellite magazine; Via Satellite of the United States.
“At Thaicom we strive to connect people, uniting our strengths to create value and a future for all, while providing opportunities for growth and a successful future for all stakeholders. Our goal is to be a leader in providing world-class integrated satellite services through the continued development and provision of new technologies and services, not only to meet the constantly shifting needs of communications in the future, but also to ensure the Company's primary position in the satellite industry; and Connecting Opportunity by developing its network of businesses and partnerships to explore new opportunities for expansion for a strong, good governance growth,” Suphajee added.
In other areas of Thaicom’s operations, its Internet and media subsidiary, CS Loxinfo PLC (CSL) saw a continued increase in the number of subscribers for corporate leased lines and Internet Data Center (IDC), with a growth of 1 per cent and 4 per cent from the previous quarter, respectively. This was due to the growth of new customers and bandwidth usage for corporate customers.
DTV, Thaicom’s Direct to Home (DTH) operator, will focus on new products and services including “Digital Head-End” solutions for cable TV and IPTV operators, hotels, condominiums, and educational institutions, targeting customers who decide to upgrade from analog to digital, reducing their investment costs.
Lao Telecommunications Co., Ltd. (LTC), Thaicom’s telephone operation in the Lao PDR has successfully increased its mobile phone subscriber base, thus maintaining its leading market position with 47.48 per cent market share, up from 46.93 per cent at the end of 2014. Furthermore, the company could significantly increase the number of Internet subscribers, especially Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) Fixed Wireless subscribers.