SingTel

[CityFarmer]

I post OpenNet news here, after SingTel acquired it.

It seems OpenNet inefficiency extended to non-residential buildings. MyRepublic's 1Gbps offer seems popular, but still not sure the impact on the big-3 RSPs subscriptions. The statistic till end Dec 13 showed that the big-3 still holding almost all the market shares.

(not vested in Singtel, but M1)

OpenNet fined S$240,000 for breaching standards: IDA

SINGAPORE— The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has fined OpenNet S$240,000 for breaching its non-residential Quality of Service (QoS) standards between April and September last year, said the IDA today (May 9).

OpenNet, which is responsible for building and operating an all-optical fibre network in Singapore, was fined the amount for “the large margin” it had failed the QoS standards, said the IDA, adding that it needed to take strong deterrent action for OpenNet’s poor performance.

IDA said it also considered the extent to which third parties have contributed to the delays. These included delays encountered when OpenNet liaises with building owners or their management for site access, site survey, approvals for installation plans and insurance guarantees/security deposits, among others.

The penalty for not meeting the standards for January to March last year was waived, as OpenNet needed more time to adjust to the new framework, which commenced in Q1 last year. The new framework required OpenNet to connect 80 per cent of non-residential end users within four weeks of service order, all non-residential end users within eight weeks of service order.

The financial penalty was set at S$10,000 per breach per month, with additional penalties possibly imposed if there were serious failures, or continued or repeated breaches.

IDA said that OpenNet has started making amendments by pre-installing fire cables at selected non-residential buildings, and by exploring the possibility of sub-contracting the fibre service provisioning work to Requesting Licensees. IDA said it will start assessing OpenNet’s QoS performance for non-residential end-user connection services starting from last month.

For residential customers, OpenNet has also committed to improving its performance, such as by providing more appointment slots on weekdays, weekends and during promotions, and improving processes to make transitioning from one service provider to another more seamless, IDA noted.

OpenNet was previously fined S$750,000 in November last year for its inability to provide fibre-optic broadband services to, potentially, 120,000 homes and 760 non-residential buildings, and for its failure to meet service-activation standards for homes.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ope...ndards-ida

[Dividend Warrior]

SingTel delivers resilient performance amid currency headwinds

Financial year ended 31 March 2014
 Net profit up 4% to S$3.65 billion; up 10% in constant currency terms
 Proposed final dividend per share of 10 cents; total dividend per share of 16.8 cents

Quarter ended 31 March 2014
 Net profit increases 4% to S$898 million; up 13% in constant currency terms
 Strong performances from Singapore Consumer and Airtel India

(Vested)

[yeh]

Huat ya!!!!

[greengiraffe]

$2bn for Optus’s mobile growth
MITCHELL BINGEMANN THE AUSTRALIAN MAY 16, 2014 12:00AM

SINGTEL will invest close to $2 billion in Optus over the next 12 months to help fund the No 2 telco’s aggressive expansion into the 4G mobile market and prepare it for battle against a rampaging Telstra, which continues to lure mobile customers.

The $2bn investment will consist of more than $750 million to pay for wireless spectrum — which will be used to expand Optus’s 4G services into the bush — and $1.2bn in capital expenditure, the largest capex injection the telco has received in more than 10 years.

The increase in capex, which was first revealed by The Australian last month, will be spent mostly on mobile network upgrades as Optus rapidly expands its 4G mobile coverage over the next 12 months.

“You will see us move 4G extensively into regional areas from January,” Paul O’Sullivan, chief executive of SingTel’s consumer group, told The Australian.

“It will bring competition in 4G to a lot of areas that don’t get it today.

“That will be a big improvement for our footprint and a big benefit for customers.”

The decision to increase its infrastructure investment comes at a crucial time for Optus, which has weathered revenue and customer declines over the past year as its once booming mobiles business declined in the face of intense competition from Telstra.

Optus revealed yesterday that, while it recorded a 14.6 per cent rise in profit to $835m for the 12 months to March 31, total revenue fell 5.2 per cent as its mobiles division recorded its eighth consecutive quarterly revenue loss.

Mr O’Sullivan, who is acting as Optus CEO while SingTel hunts for a replacement for former boss Kevin Russell, said the telco had a disciplined cost structure that produced better returns on its investments.

That strategy to focus on sustainable profit came through in the telco’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, which received a healthy bump, increasing 5.1 per cent to $2.5bn. EBITDA margins also grew from 26.7 per cent a year ago to 29.5 per cent.

“The full-year results show that we are making the necessary changes to restructure the Optus organisation so that we can take advantage of future growth opportunities,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

For the 12 months to March 31 the telco lost 160,000 customers. Optus now has a total mobile subscriber base of 9.432 million versus Telstra’s 15.8 million.

Mr O’Sullivan said Optus would not be dragged into a price war to win back customers.

However, he said the telco would be ruthless in winning back market share through new product constructs and plans.

“We are not about just chasing volume for volume’s sake,” he said. “For us what will matter is that we find a way to grow our subscriber base that is still sustainable and profitable.

“You won’t see Optus suddenly change direction and engage in very aggressive pricing.

“It will be more about good value and creative offerings to customers.”

[greengiraffe]

Optus flags aggressive growth strategy as revenue shrinks
HANNAH FRANCIS, WITH AAP MAY 20, 2014 6:30AM

Australia's second-largest telco, Optus, has flagged an aggressive growth strategy in mobile and fixed-wireless broadband for the coming year as it seeks to stem declining revenue.

Optus lifted its full-year profit by 14.6 per cent to $835 million in the year to March 31.

However revenue declined by 5 per cent and free cash flow was down more than 15 per cent.

Optus’ performance also declined in the quarter to March 31, with falls in revenue, margins, earnings and cash flow reflecting lower equipment sales, lower fixed revenues and lower incoming service revenues from a compulsory decline in mobile termination rates, which came into effect in January.

Net profit for the quarter fell $26m, impacted in part by a cautious business environment and a one-off non-recurring revenue of $25 million in the previous corresponding quarter.

Acting chief executive Paul O’Sullivan said Optus had been willing to take a hit to average revenue per user after reducing excessive pricing for roaming and for customers who exceeded their voice and data usage caps.

As a result of customer-focused measures like these, Optus had recorded a Net Promoter Score of +5 for the second consecutive quarter, Mr O’Sullivan said.

“Customer focus and customer leadership is our point of difference, and we’ve invested heavily in our mobile network to underpin that.” Mr O’Sullivan said.

The telco has flagged $1.2bn of capital expenditure over the coming year for continued investment, heavily weighted towards the mobile network.

Mr O’Sullivan said the overall strong full-year earnings performance demonstrated the company was taking necessary steps to transform and restructure the business.

“We reduced dependency on third-party distributors on-selling to customers,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“Branded stores are able to deliver a much better customer experience and that’s saved us a lot of costs.”

However Mr O’Sullivan said driving new sources of growth was just as important as increasing efficiencies.

“The rise in use of data on both mobile and fixed broadband is a significant opportunity for Optus. That’s an area we will start to push more aggressively in the year ahead," Mr O'Sullivan said.

“You will see a more vocal and more visible Optus in the market over the next 12 months.”

[greengiraffe]

Optus takes mobile revenue war to Telstra
THE AUSTRALIAN JUNE 02, 2014 12:00AM

Mitchell Bingemann
Reporter
Sydney
OPTUS will today unveil a new range of aggressive mobile phone plans as it attempts to lure almost a quarter of Telstra’s mobile subscriber base and reinvigorate the No 2 telco’s once booming ­mobiles business.

The plans, to be unveiled in Sydney today by acting chief executive Paul O’Sullivan, will allow consumers for the first time to share mobile data allowances across multiple devices — such as smartphones and tablets — for no extra charge.

The plans have been designed to target the 3.7 million Telstra customers — 23 per cent of telco giant’s 15.8 million mobile subscriber base — who use tablets such as Apple’s iPad to surf the internet, but who must also pay extra if they have a separate ­mobile phone service with the telco. While Telstra has offered an option to allow data sharing across multiple mobile devices since October, it charges consumers $10 to activate the plan and another $10 monthly charge for every device connected to the ­account. “Having one data subscription for all of your mobile devices will be a game changer for the industry,” said one source.

“Although these new plans will hurt Optus’s revenue, it will hurt Telstra even more as much of the telco’s growth has come from this mobile broadband space.”

If successful the move could take a huge dent from the revenue that Telstra makes from its mobile broadband customers. In the past five years the telco has almost doubled revenue from its mobile broadband subscribers to $1.2 billion. That represents 13 per cent of Telstra’s $9.2bn mobile business, which includes mobile phone revenue and hardware sales.

Optus is also expected to boost the amount of data attached to its mobile plans as an extra incentive for customers to defect to Optus. It is also expected to unveil a new range of SIM-only plans with no lock-ins that will target customers who already own expensive mobile devices like Apple’s iPhone or Samsung’s Galaxy handsets.

[greengiraffe]

Optus loss ‘will hurt Telstra more’
THE AUSTRALIAN JUNE 03, 2014 12:00AM

Mitchell Bingemann
Reporter
Sydney

OPTUS chief executive Paul O’Sullivan has conceded the telco will take a short-term hit to revenues with the launch of a new range of aggressive mobile phone plans that will cannibalise some of its customers but, it hopes, more of Telstra’s.

As foreshadowed in The Australian yesterday, Optus has unveiled plans that will allow its customers to share mobile data allowances across multiple devices — such as smartphones and tablets — for a one-off $5 charge per device.

The new plans from Optus have been designed to do away with the need for customers to have multiple accounts for each mobile device they own.

Allowing customers to share data across multiple devices will mean that Optus will cannibalise some of its existing mobile phone revenues, which have recently come under pressure from flatlining growth.

Mr O’Sullivan said he expected the new plans to translate into new growth in the medium term.

“We see this as slow build,” Mr O’Sullivan said. “It gives us a chance to win more customers, give people more reason to join Optus and in time that will turn into expansion and growth.

“If you look at data usage in the market, customers are using more and more. All the forecasts we see are for dramatic growth, so we want to be the brand that is positioned as the best brand for data.

“While there will be some short-term impact to revenues, in the medium term it will position us very well for growth.”

Telstra has offered an option to allow data-sharing across multiple mobile devices since October, but it charges consumers a $10 monthly charge for every device connected to the ­account.

While Mr O’Sullivan acknowledged the new plans would hurt Optus’s short-term revenue, he said the plans could expose Telstra to more losses.

“Telstra is charging customers $10 a month to use theirs and it also has a $30-a-gig breakage fee. It’s also got a world in which it encourages people to take multiple accounts in order to use their devices,” he said.

“I think it’s clearly going to be something that is going to be very difficult for them to react to.”

The launch of the new plans comes at a crucial time for Optus, which has weathered revenue and customer declines over the past year as its once booming mobiles business declined in the face of intense competition from Telstra.

For the 12 months to March 31 the telco lost 160,000 customers. Optus now has a total mobile subscriber base of 9.432 million versus Telstra’s 15.8 million.

[CityFarmer]

Optus loss ‘will hurt Telstra more’
THE AUSTRALIAN JUNE 03, 2014 12:00AM

Mitchell Bingemann
Reporter
Sydney

OPTUS chief executive Paul O’Sullivan has conceded the telco will take a short-term hit to revenues with the launch of a new range of aggressive mobile phone plans that will cannibalise some of its customers but, it hopes, more of Telstra’s.
...

That doesn't sound good for SingTel. Optus contributed significant part of the FCF, and SingTel group has major CAPEX to spend in these few years.

(not vested)

[CityFarmer]

SingTel made two more acquisitions on digital advertising companies, after Amobee. Adconion costs US$209 million, while Kontera costs US$150 million. Amobee was previously acquired for US$321 million. SingTel is spending big $ on digital advertising sector...

(not vested)

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ACQUISITION OF ADconION MEDIA, INC., ADconION PTY LIMITED,
KONTERA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND INCORPORATION OF SUBSIDIARY

http://infopub.sgx.com/FileOpen/589-sgx....eID=300939

[CityFarmer]

The general trend on consumer preference, is the DIY. SingTel seems on the right track.

(not vested)

SingTel offers fully customisable mobile plans

SINGAPORE — Against the backdrop of a stagnant telco market with many similar monthly plans on offer, SingTel is taking a step to provide something different, with a service that allows users to fully customise their voice, SMS and data bundle on an ongoing basis according to changing personal needs.

Called Easy Mobile, consumers can choose from four plans ranging in price from S$33 to S$105 per month. Each plan offers a varying number of units that individually represent 50 minutes of local outgoing calls, 500 SMSes or MMSes, or 0.5GB of local data usage. Consumers may allocate more units to the service they use most and fewer to less useful offerings, although they will need to have at least one unit in each category.

They may also upgrade or downgrade their plans every month if they need to adjust the number of units at their disposal.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sin...bile-plans