Robi Axiata PLC posted an 85.2 per cent year-on-year jump in earnings per share (EPS) in the first quarter of 2026, driven by higher data consumption, revenue growth and disciplined cost management despite difficult socio-economic conditions.
The country’s second-largest mobile operator reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Tk232.3 crore for the January-March quarter with a profit margin of 9.2 per cent.
Revenue rose 8.1 per cent year-on-year to Tk2,531.2 crore in Q1’26, while EPS increased to Tk0.44, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) climbed 21.6 per cent year-on-year to Tk1,350.3 crore.
EBITDA margin improved by 5.9 percentage points to 53.3 per cent.
Robi said disciplined cost management and investment planning helped sustain profit growth during the quarter.
Capital expenditure during the period stood at Tk349.5 crore, while total payments to the government exchequer reached Tk2,073.6 crore, equivalent to 82 per cent of quarterly revenue.
The operator’s active subscriber base stood at 5 crore 74 lakh at the end of March, including 4 crore 45 lakh data subscribers and 4 crore 3 lakh 4G users.
Average monthly data consumption per user rose 15.4 per cent year-on-year to 8.95 gigabytes during the quarter.
The company expanded its network footprint to more than 19,300 4G sites, achieving 98.98 per cent population coverage.
Compared with the previous quarter, revenue slipped 2.1 per cent, which the operator attributed mainly to fewer calendar days during the January-March period.
However, average data usage per subscriber rose 6.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter, while EBITDA grew 4.3 per cent over the previous quarter.
EBITDA margin also improved by 3.3 percentage points from the previous quarter.
Robi Managing Director and CEO Ziad Shatara said the operator delivered growth despite adverse socio-economic conditions and geopolitical uncertainty linked to the war in West Asia.
“We have registered 8.1 per cent YoY growth and that too under very adverse socio-economic conditions intensified by the war in West Asia,” he said.
He said the company’s AI-driven personalised products and continued investment in network quality contributed to the performance.
Robi expects business conditions to improve gradually with a brightening economic climate over time, he added.
Malaysia-based Axiata Group Berhad holds 61.82 per cent shares in Robi, while India-based Bharti Airtel owns 28.18 per cent and public shareholders hold the remaining 10 per cent stake.
Robi shares with a face value of Tk10 apiece closed flat at Tk29.60 on the Dhaka Stock Exchange on Thursday.
