Highest quarterly increase of 7.4 million subscribers

Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today announced that the aggregate number of its mobile subscribers in the region has exceeded 92 million as at 30 June 2006.

This figure also represents an increase of 7.4 million customers from the previous quarter. This is the highest quarterly increase ever registered by the SingTel Group.¹

The combined mobile subscriber base of SingTel, SingTel Optus and the Group's five regional associates grew 30 per cent from about 71 million a year ago.

On a proportionate basis, SingTel's subscriber base in the seven markets - Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - increased 25 per cent from a year ago to more than 35 million.

The strongest growth came from Bharti and Telkomsel. On a year-on-year basis, Bharti posted record subscriber growth of 88 per cent while Telkomsel saw a 36 per cent jump in mobile subscribers.

In Australia, SingTel Optus added 69,000 customers for the quarter, increasing its mobile customer base to 6.56 million. This represents an 8.8 per cent increase year-on-year. The growth was achieved despite continued fierce competition in the Australian mobile market.

SingTel had 1.62 million mobile customers in Singapore, a decline of 41,000 users from the last quarter. Though SingTel added more than 5,000 postpaid subscribers, this was offset by a drop of 46,000 prepaid mobile customers during the quarter. This is due to the termination of prepaid mobile lines in Singapore whose users did not register their prepaid mobile lines by 1 May 2006 under a mandatory nationwide registration exercise.

At a glance

More details of the market and financial performance of the seven mobile operations will be available when SingTel announces its results for the first quarter ended 30 June 2006 on 3 August 2006.

About SingTel

SingTel, Asia's leading communications group, is reaping the benefits of an international expansion strategy which has been successfully developed over the last 15 years. With significant operations in Singapore and Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary SingTel Optus), the Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms.

SingTel Optus is a leading Australian integrated communications company. Since commencing operations in 1992, Optus has invested more than A$7 billion in the construction of fixed, mobile and satellite networks. Optus' mobile business unit has captured around one third of the total Australian GSM mobile market.

SingTel is also a strategic investor in four of the region's most successful mobile operations. It has a 21.42 per cent stake in Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand's largest mobile operator. In India, the Group has a 30.49 per cent effective interest in Bharti, the country's largest GSM operator. One of SingTel's earliest investments in the region is Globe Telecom in the Philippines. Today, it has a 44.57 per cent stake in the company. SingTel has a 35 per cent stake in Indonesia's largest mobile operator, Telkomsel. It also has a 45 per cent equity stake in Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL).

The SingTel Group had a turnover of S$13.14 billion (US$8.12 billion) and net profit after tax of S$4.16 billion (US$2.57 billion) for the year ended 31 March 2006. More information can be found @ www.singtel.com.

¹ The previous record increase was 6.3 million subscribers for the quarter ended 30 June 2005.

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