Robi Axiata reported a 3.7 per cent rise in third-quarter earnings as revenue grew 7 per cent year on year, supported by expanding data usage and a larger 4G subscriber base, although profitability weakened from the previous quarter.
Bangladesh’s second-largest mobile operator posted a net profit of Tk251.3 crore for July–September 2026, with a profit margin of 9.4 per cent, according to financial results released on Wednesday.
Revenue reached Tk2,686.7 crore, while earnings per share (EPS) rose 3.7 per cent to Tk0.48 from a year earlier.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), a measure of operating profitability, stood at Tk1,419.7 crore, with a margin of 52.8 per cent, up 1.4 percentage points year on year.
The sequential picture was weaker. Revenue slipped 0.9 per cent from the April–June quarter, while EBITDA declined 4.9 per cent and EPS fell 4.4 per cent.
The EBITDA margin narrowed by 2.2 percentage points, indicating that operating profitability weakened compared with the preceding quarter despite remaining above its year-earlier level.
Robi’s active subscriber base reached 5.92 crore at the end of September, including 4.68 crore internet users and 4.28 crore 4G subscribers. About 72 per cent of its active customers used 4G services.
The figures show the scale of Robi’s digital customer base, with internet subscribers accounting for nearly four-fifths of active users. The company did not disclose comparable subscriber figures for the previous quarter or a year earlier.
The operator invested Tk341.9 crore in network infrastructure during the quarter, taking its operational 4G sites to more than 19,000 nationwide.
The investment formed part of Robi’s continuing efforts to improve network quality and expand digital connectivity, as the company sought to balance infrastructure spending with profitability.
Robi paid Tk700.7 crore to the government during July–September, equivalent to 26 per cent of quarterly revenue.
For the first nine months of 2026, revenue totalled Tk7,929.6 crore, with net profit of Tk746.5 crore and EPS of Tk1.43.
The nine-month profit represented a margin of approximately 9.4 per cent, broadly in line with the third-quarter margin, although the company did not provide year-earlier comparisons for the cumulative figures.
Capital expenditure reached Tk1,413 crore during January–September, while payments to the government amounted to Tk4,975.6 crore, equivalent to 63 per cent of revenue over the period.
The nine-month capital expenditure was more than four times the amount spent in the third quarter alone, reflecting the scale of network investment undertaken earlier in the year.
Robi Managing Director and CEO Ziad Shatara said growing 4G adoption reflected the increasing importance of digital connectivity.
“Our Q3’26 performance reflects the resilience of our business fundamentals and the growing importance of digital connectivity in people’s daily lives,” he said in a statement.
He said that 72 per cent of Robi’s active customers now use 4G services, describing the shift as part of Bangladesh’s broader digital transformation.
Shatara said the company would continue investing in network quality, customer experience and digital services while maintaining financial discipline.
He also emphasised operational efficiency and innovation as priorities for sustaining returns to shareholders and meeting customers’ growing connectivity needs.
Malaysia’s Axiata Group holds 61.82 per cent of Robi, India’s Bharti Airtel owns 28.18 per cent, and public shareholders hold the remaining 10 per cent.
