Profits on the slide at Kuwaiti provider Zain

Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications, better known as Zain, yesterday said second quarter net profit declined 31.7 per cent compared with a year ago, as competition and forex losses have hit net profit. According to Zawya Dow Jones calculations the company made a second quarter net profit of 70.3 million Kuwaiti dinars (Dh947 million), from 103 million dinars a year ago. The net profit fell short of the 88.8 million dinars result pencilled in by analysts at Kuwait-based Global Investment House. Analysts at Bahrain's Sico had forecast 85 million dinars. "These results are all impressive when one considers that the net profit for half year was adversely affected by currency fluctuations of an amount of $75 million [Dh276 million]," said Asaad Al Banwaan, chairman of the board of directors of Zain. Article continues below More customers Zain said that its mobile customers stood at 39.6 million at the end of June, up 16 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 2 per cent in the first half to 659.4 million dinars. "We are confident that the company's vast investment into South Sudan will be rewarding." Zain chief executive Nabeel Bin Salamah said. "The company is expanding its 3G, voice and data services and heavily investing in fibre and core network to meet the expected triple digit customer growth in the coming years." Zain was the subject of a takeover offer of close to $12 billion by the UAE's Etisalat but the deal fell through in March.