Record high EBITDA and positioned for future growth

Press release
Fornebu
9 minute read
In the fourth quarter of 2013, Telenor Group reported revenues of NOK 28 billion, representing an organic revenue growth of 1%. EBITDA before other items was NOK 8.99 billion, the EBITDA margin was 32.6%, and operating cash flow was NOK 4.42 billion.
“During 2013, Telenor Group increased or maintained its market share in key markets. For the fourth quarter, Telenor Group reports organic revenue growth of 1 percent, in line with the company’s growth rate for the full year. The EBITDA margin for 2013 was 34.5 percent, a two percentage point improvement from the previous year. Revenue growth combined with the margin improvement, resulted in a record-high EBITDA of NOK 36 billion for the year,’’ said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of Telenor Group.

“During the year, we added 17 million subscribers, of which 5 million alone in the final three months. This growth was mainly driven by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. These countries still represent a significant potential for further growth,’’ said Baksaas.

“In Thailand, I am pleased to see that the migration of customers to our new 3G network is progressing well. In addition, solid underlying service revenue growth from data in our Thai operation is noticeable. In Malaysia, DiGi’s ability to offer relevant data services sets an excellent example for how data can drive growth and profitability. With Grameenphone’s launch of 3G services, we have leaped toward providing affordable data services to our customers in Bangladesh. Political and regulatory challenges continue to impact several of our Asian markets,’’ said Baksaas.

“The telecommunications industry continues to progress rapidly and plays an increasingly important role in people’s everyday lives. As the world goes digital, Telenor Group is strategically managing the transition from voice to data and we will continue to focus on our Internet for All ambition, an initiative to connect the unconnected in all our markets. We are now getting started in our new market Myanmar, a nation of 60 million people and vast untapped growth potential. After signing the licence agreement last month, we will leverage on our regional experience and aim to provide accessible and affordable mobile communications to people across the country,’’ said Baksaas.

“In India, our operating model resulted in solid trends in the second half of the year. Strong subscriber growth and increased revenue per customer resulted in an organic sales growth of 36 percent in the fourth quarter. We are now taking a lead challenger position in the six circles we are present,’’ said Baksaas.

“In Norway, we are gaining subscribers and see increasing demand for larger data packages, resulting in an improved sales mix. At the end of the year, we secured new spectrum, which will enable Telenor to offer superior nation-wide 4G services within the next two years. While macro-economic pressure continued in Eastern Europe during the quarter, we see solid trends in Sweden and in our Broadcast division,’’ said Baksaas.

Dividend and Outlook


“Based on the performance in 2013, the Board proposes a dividend per share of NOK 7.00 for 2013, a 17 percent increase from 2012 and equivalent to a pay-out of 73 percent of normalised net income. The financial outlook for 2014, excluding our start-up operation in Myanmar, is low single digit organic revenue growth, a stable EBITDA margin and a capex to sales ratio of around 16 percent,’’ said Baksaas.

Key figures


The table below contains key figures for the fourth quarter of 2013, compared to the previous year.







































































































4Q4QYearYear
(NOK in millions except earnings per share)20132012
(Restated)
20132012
(Restated)
Revenues27 61125 990104 027101 718
EBITDA before other income and expenses8 9938 20335 89232 848
EBITDA margin before other income and expenses (%)32.631.634.532.3
Adjusted operating profit[1]5 4294 52322 16118 446
Adjusted operating profit/Revenues (%)19.717.421.318.1
Profit after taxes and non-controlling interests2 4302 50813 1978 809
Earnings per share from total operations, basic, in NOK1.611.628.665.63
Capex5 10410 37117 04421 511
Capex excl. licences and spectrum4 5773 57114 65912 299
Capex excl. licences and spectrum/Revenues (%)16.613.714.112.1
Operating cash flow  [2]4 4164 63321 23320 549
Net interest-bearing liabilities [3]39 39533 082

[1]Adjusted operating profit is defined as Operating profit less other income and expenses and impairment losses.
[2]Operating cash flow is defined as EBITDA before other income and expenses – Capex, excluding licences and spectrum
[3]Net interest-bearing liabilities is defined as net interest-bearing debt excluding net present value of licence liabilities.

For more information please refer to the quarterly report at https://www.telenor.com/investors/reports/2013/telenors-results-for-the-4th-quarter-2013/

Media Contact: Meera Bhatia, Communications Manager, Tel: (+47) 46844959, E-mail: meera.bhatia@telenor.com

Press and analyst conference


In connection with the publication of the financial results, a press and analyst conference will be held on Wednesday 12 February at 09:00 hrs Norwegian time/CET. The presentation, which will also be broadcast live over the Internet, will be held in Auditorium Voice, Telenor Expo Visitor Centre at Fornebu near Oslo. CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas and CFO Richard Olav Aa will present the results. The presentation will be held in English.

Internet and mobile broadcast


The press and analysts conference will be broadcast live over the Internet, and will also be available as a recording after the conference. The live service also allows for written questions to be submitted. In addition, the conference will be available live and as a recording on mobile phones – for access, SMS expo to 2440 or (+47) 2440 from abroad.

Conference Call and Q&A


You may also call in and listen to the presentation over the phone. This service allows you to ask questions at the Q&A session at the end of the presentation. To participate in the conference call please register before the conference starts by calling (+47) 23162787 and state the confirmation code 8285200.

Material


The quarterly report and English versions of the presentations will be made available here https://www.telenor.com/investors/reports/2013/telenors-results-for-the-4th-quarter-2013/