Idea Q3 revenues seen up by 7% to Rs 4,940 cr

By Reema Tendulkar, CNBC-TV18

Aditya Birla group company Idea Cellular is likely to show 51.3% growth in profit after tax of Rs 160 crore in the third quarter of FY12 as against Rs 105.8 crore in the previous quarter. Revenues are seen going up by 7% to Rs 4,940 crore versus Rs 4,919.9 crore quarter-on-quarter. EBITDA is likely to go up at Rs 1,285 crore in the quarter ended December FY12 versus Rs 1,186.6 crore in the previous quarter. EBITDA is expected to be at 26% versus 25.7% during the same period. Operational parameters -RPM at 43p versus 42.7p
-MOU up 3% at 375 versus 364
-ARPU at 158 versus 155                            Highlights -Expect a bounce back in revenue growth after a subdued growth last quarter (Q2FY12at 2.2%; Q1FY12 at 6.7%, Q4FY11 at 4%, Q3FY11 at 8.2%) -Margins will improve due to tariff hikes, but 3G investments are likely to exert pressure on margins as 3G growth is likely to remain subdued -Likely to see forex loss of around Rs 40 crore versus Rs 31.3 crore -Watch for losses in the new circles
>In Q2 - EBITDA losses in new circles increase to Rs 177.6 crore Vs loss of Rs 139.7 crore QoQ Watch out for in the telecom sector - Outlook for MOU growth ((Q3 saw lowest subscriber additions over the past five years for India) - Tariff hikes - 3G uptake has been very muted Regulatory environment remains an overhang --- increased during the quarter
>3G intra circle roaming agreements