Zain Bahrain customer base hits new heights

Manama : Zain Bahrain, a telecom innovator, posted a profit of BD1.8 million for the six months to June 30, as its customer base spiked 10pc to new record levels in response to the operator’s first-to-market mobile social media packages.  

Profit for the half-year to June 30 was down 11pc year-on-year from BD2.1 million the previous year, while net profit for the three months ending June 30 amounted to BD926,000, down 12pc quarter-on-quarter. 

However, this figure represented a 1pc increase on net profit in Q1 2016, which amounted to BD917,000. EBIDTA fell by 12pc to BD12.2 million for the six months ending June 30, down from BD14 million a year earlier. 

Zain’s EBIDTA margin for the period amounted to 38.77pc. Total revenues for the six months to end-June stood at BD31.9 million, down 9.2pc year-on-year due to intense market competition.

Zain Bahrain’s highly successful social media product, which offers unlimited data across all social media channels, helped the telco expand its customer base by 10pc quarter-on-quarter from 800,750 to 881,298 customers at the end of June. 

The introduction of this social media product meant that, for the first time in the Kingdom, mobile customers were not billed for data used accessing social media applications beyond their initial subscriptions. 

The ‘Truly Unlimited Social Media’ prepaid and postpaid mobile packages give customers unlimited access to platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter and others, as well as free local and international calls.

Zain Bahrain Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa said, “The change in our profits to date comes against the backdrop of an increasingly challenging market, with
the penetration rate exceeding 180pc, and a demanding sophisticated consumer market.” 

“Zain Bahrain continues to reap the rewards of its cutting edge network technology. Its superior capabilities make it possible for us to deliver innovative and unique services to our customers while creating additional value for our shareholders,” he added.