Qatar Telecom (Qtel) announced that Group revenue increased by 7.6% to end the period at QAR 8.0 billion (Q1 2011: QAR 7.5 billion). This growth is driven by service excellence and the constant roll-out of new services.

The Group’s consolidated customer base stood at 84.4 million (Q1 2011: 75.6 million), representing growth in customer numbers of 11.7%. EBITDA for the same period increased 8.0 % to QAR 3.8 billion (Q1 2011: QAR 3.6 billion). EBITDA margin remained robust throughout the period at 48%(Q1 2011: 48 percent).

Net profit attributable to Qtel Shareholders decreased by 12.2% at QAR 0.7 billion (Q1 2011: QAR 0.8 billion), mainly due to foreign exchange losses in Indonesian operations.

Highlights of the period included sustained performance in Iraq, Qatar, Algeria and Tunisia. The period also witnessed the commercial launch of Qtel Fibre, and the agreement for the sale and leaseback of approximately 25% of the Indosat tower portfolio for a total potential consideration of US$ 519 million.