PLDT's ICT revenues up 3%

CEBU, Philippines - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) reported a three percent increase on its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revenues in the third quarter of this year, to P8.2 billion.

Data center revenues continued to grow with a 20 percent improvement over the comparable period in 2010.

In its recent third quarter performance report, PLDT president Napoleon Nazareno revealed that the company’s Knowledge Processing Solutions increased eight percent on the back of higher contributions from the medical billing and content solutions verticals.

Revenues from the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or call center business, on the other hand, declined two percent having been negatively impacted by the peso’s appreciation.

ICT also registered a 28 percent decline in Internet and online gaming revenues with the sale of Digital Paradise and Level Up! , as well as the transfer of InfoCom’s internet business to the Fixed Line.

Sixty-eight percent of PLDT’s ICT revenues are dollar-denominated, Nazareno said had the peso remained stable, service revenues for the period would have increased by P300 million.

He further reported that EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for the ICT business increased by 36 percent to P1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2011 as compared with P1.1 billion in 2010, as a result of the growth in service revenues and lower cash operating expenses.

EBITDA margin at 19 percent was higher than the 14 percent recorded in the comparable period las year, he reported.

CT’s revenues account for seven percent of PLDT’s consolidated revenues.

“SPI continues to streamline its operations while expanding its services which now includes a more comprehensive and integrated suite of solutions covering revenue cycle management, health information recovery management, clinical documentation improvement and education and ASP hosting,” Nazareno said.

Over-all the company expects another slower year in terms of revenue in 2012, as competition toughens in the country’s telecommunication industry. — (FREEMAN)