Taiwan Mobile Tops Taiwan's Telecom Peers in Jan.-Sept. Earnings

Taipei, Oct. 15, 2012 (CENS)--Taiwan Mobile Corp. earned NT$0.47 per share in September and NT$4.16 per share in the first nine months this year, retaining the top notch of Taiwan's telecom service industry.

In September, Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. netted NT$0.4 per share while Far EasTone Telecom Co., Ltd. earned NT$0.31. In the Jan.-Sept. period this year, Chunghwa earned NT$3.99 per share and Far EasTone NT$2.51.

Value added mobile service has outperformed other services to become the major profit earner of Taiwan's top three telecom carriers. Chunghwa, for instance, saw its revenue from value added mobile service spike 42.1% year on year (YoY) in September. In the first nine months the company's revenue from the service surged 33.2% YoY. Totally, value added mobile service has increased to constitute 27.5% of the company's revenue.

Chunghwa had non-consolidated revenue of NT$15.8 billion (US$526 million), inching up only 0.3% from a year earlier. However, the company's operating cost and expenditure increased 4.7% to NT$12.2 billion (US$407 million) in September due to additional spending on mobile Internet promotion and preferential retirement program. Surged spending led to an 18.3% decrease in monthly net income, reaching NT$3.1 billion (US$104 million), or NT$0.4 per share.

In the first nine months, the company had total revenue of NT$141.6 billion (US$4.7 billion), attaining 75% of annual goal, and scored net income of NT$30.9 billion (US$1 billion), or NT$3.99 per share, reaching 79% of annual goal.

Taiwan Mobile raked in consolidated revenue of NT$7.9 billion (US$264 million) and after-tax net income of NT$1.2 billion (US$41 million), or NT$0.47 per share, in September. Throughout the first three quarters, the company had consolidated revenue of NT$72.2 billion (US$2.4 billion), EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of NT$21 billion (US$701 million) and after-tax net income of NT$11.1 billion (US$372 million), or NT$4.16 per share.

Far EasTone scored consolidated revenue of NT$6.9 billion (US$233 million), and after-tax net income of NT$1.02 billion (US$34 million), or NT$0.31 per share in September. In the first nine months, the company had total consolidated revenue of NT$64.3 billion (US$2.1 billion) and after-tax net income of NT$8.1 billion (US$272 million), or NT$2.51 per share. The company's revenue, net income and EPS for the first nine months this year attained 79%, 81% and 81% of its annual projections, respectively.