Mumbai: Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) revenue has been declined by 4.7 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) to Rs 91.5 billion at the end of the first quarter FY22. EBITDA for the quarter was Rs 37.1 billion, with EBITDA margins at 40.5 per cent vs 45.9 per cent in Q4 FY21. The CapEx spend for the quarter was Rs 9.4 billion vs Rs 15.4 billion in the previous quarter.

The telecom company reported total gross debt (excluding lease liabilities and including interest accrued but not due) of Rs 1915.9 billion, as of 30 June. This includes deferred spectrum payment obligations of Rs 1060.1 billion and AGR liability of Rs 621.8 billion that are due to the government and debt from banks and financial institutions of Rs 234 billion. Cash and cash equivalents were Rs 9.2 billion and net debt stood at Rs 1906.7 billion.

The company said its broadband site count stood at 447,114, lower compared to 452,650 in Q4 FY21 as it continues to actively shut down 3G sites. "Our 4G network covers over one billion Indians as of 30 June," it added.

The subscriber base has declined by 12.3 million and stands at 255.4 in this quarter vs 267.8 million in the previous quarter. The telco’s 4G base declined to 112.9 million vs 113.9 million in the previous quarter. The subscriber churn was 3.5 per cent in Q1 FY22 vs 3.0 in Q4 FY21. ARPU declined to Rs 104 vs Rs 107 in the previous quarter. The data volumes witnessed strong growth of 13.2 per cent quarter on quarter. Data usage per broadband subscriber surged to 14.6 GB/month vs 12.8 GB/month in the previous quarter.

“The severe second wave of COVID-19 caused significant disruptions and slowdown in economic activities," said VIL managing director and chief executive officer, Ravinder Takkar. "During these challenging times, VIL continued to serve its customers and community at large by providing seamless connectivity as well as maintaining superior quality of services."

"Vi GIGAnet’s superior network experience on both data and voice, is testified through top rankings in independent external reports. We continue to focus on executing our strategy to keep our customers ahead, and our cost optimisation plan remains on track to deliver the targeted savings. We are in active discussion with potential investors for fundraising, to achieve our strategic intent," Takkar added.