SmarTone Tele (315) 1H net down 14% to HK$403m; div HK27 cts

    SmarTone Telecommunications (00315) said its profit attributable to equity holders for the six months ended 31 December 2015 dropped 13.6% year-on-year to HK$403 million.
  Basic and diluted earnings per share were HK38 cents.
  Group total revenue was HK$10,228 million, an 18% growth over the same period last year and a 2% increase over the previous half. Handset and accessory sales were 26% higher over the same period last year, and service revenue increased 1%.
  Service EBITDA rose to $1,331 million, 9% higher than the same period last year and flat over the previous six months. Service EBIT grew to HK$540 million, increasing 45% over the same period last year and 11% over the previous six months.
  Customer number stands at 1.97 million, a 1% increase over the previous six months while the average mobile postpaid churn rate improved year-on-year to 0.9%. Notwithstanding the continuing migration of customers from handset-bundled plans to SIM-only plans, postpaid ARPU continued to increase to HK$301, reflecting a 3% growth over the same period last year. Excluding 3G speed-capped plan customers, postpaid ARPU increased 6% compared to the same period last year.
  The proposed interim dividend is HK27 cents (2014: HK27 cents) per share, payable on or about 5 April 2016, with an option to receive new and fully paid shares in lieu of cash under a scrip dividend scheme.