According to the Zhitong Finance App, HKT-SS (06823) announced its 2023 results, with total revenue of HK$34.33 billion, up 1% year on year; profit attributable to share joint account holders was HK$4.991 billion, up 2% year on year; the basic profit per share combined position was HK$65.89, and the final allocation for each share account was HKD 44.44 points, so the total distribution for the whole year was HK$76.49 points.

Among them, service revenue growth from the mobile communications business accelerated, rising 5% to HK$8.348 billion, reflecting a rapid recovery in roaming revenue, a further increase in the momentum of 5G service adoption, and a strong growth in the post-paid customer base, despite intense competition in the price sensitive market. With the full recovery of international travel, demand for data roaming services for mobile communication services has skyrocketed. Notably, personal outbound roaming revenue returned to 95% of pre-2019 levels in the second half of 2023. As a result, total roaming revenue jumped 176% year-on-year in 2023. 5G service penetration continues to rise, and the customer base reached close to 1.4 million people at the end of December 2023, accounting for 41% of the total number of postpaid customers.

Due to the weak overall market conditions and the lack of new features to attract upgrades, consumers delayed switching mobile phones, causing sales of mobile communication products to weaken, falling from HK$3.624 billion to HK$2,960 billion. As a result, total mobile revenue fell slightly to HK$11.308 billion. However, due to improved operational efficiency, the mobile communication business EBITDA increased by 4% during the year to HK$5,060 billion, and marginal profit increased to 45%, while the mobile service EBITDA increased 5% to HK$5,057 billion, or 61% of marginal profit.

Strong growth in corporate business stemmed from the Group providing industry-specific solutions to help corporate customers better and more effectively serve their customers. As a result, local data revenue grew substantially by 10% in 2023. Furthermore, HKT successfully won new projects from corporate clients, with a total contract value of over HK$4 billion at the end of the year. As individuals, households, and businesses continue to demand high-speed, reliable broadband service solutions, more customers upgraded to fiber-optic in-home (FTTH) services, including the newly launched 2.5 Gbps service, which led to a 2% increase in broadband revenue. As Now TV further strengthened its content portfolio and enhanced viewing experience, the pay TV business remained resilient during the year, while the local phone business continued to be affected by the shift from basic voice services to mobile communication and data, and the weakening of the SME market. As a result, revenue from the local telecommunications services business increased by 2% to HK$16.883 billion.

Total revenue from telecommunications services increased by 1% to HK$24.170 billion, reflecting the steady revenue performance of local telecommunications services. However, some of the increase was offset by lower voice revenue from international telecommunications services. The total EBITDA for telecommunications services increased by 3% to HK$9.371 billion, and marginal profit improved to 39%.