BEELINE’S subscriber base has risen by more than a third quarter on quarter, according to results released by its Russian parent company Vimpelcom late Wednesday.
According to a quarter-one report from the Moscow-based firm, Beeline’s Cambodian subscriber based rose by 34 percent to 491,000, from 367,000 in the fourth quarter last year. Average revenue per user was measured at US$3.5.
Revenues from its Southeast Asia operations, which combined Cambodian and Vietnamese business, nearly doubled to $4.4 million, a $2 million increase over the past quarter.
Vimpelcom’s operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) saw a loss of $5.9 million in the first quarter, better than the $6.4 million loss that OIBDA recorded in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Vimpelcom chief executive officer Alexander Izosimov said Beeline’s growing subscriber base made it the fourth-largest of the Kingdom’s nine mobile operators, in an online conference discussing the results.
However, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications released figures earlier this month pegging Beeline as the sixth-largest domestic operator, measured by active SIM card numbers.
“We attribute this successful start to good matter of quality, effective marketing campaigns, and a proactive approach to distribution,” said Izosimov.
The CEO added that Vimpelcom looked to “enhance” its presence in Southeast Asia. “We stick to our philosophy of investing as we grow, and exercising a cautious approach to our investment decisions,” he said. Beeline is subject to an ongoing $2.5 million lawsuit, launched by market leader Mobitel, over the use of phone prefixes.
