Dtac’s Q3 was affected by falling ARPU and one-time merger-related expenses, with the operator maintaining a full-year outlook of service revenue to be flat or decline by low-single digits.

The Thailand-based operator added subscribers and booked greater roaming revenue as the country opened up. In a statement it noted full-year guidance remained valid despite competition remaining fierce and a slow macroeconomic recovery due to rising inflation.

Net profit dropped 41.4 per cent year-on-year to THB488 million ($12.8 million) due to costs from a planned tie-up with True Corp and lower regulatory fees in Q3 2021.

Revenue rose 4.1 per cent to THB20 billion, with a 73.3 per cent rise in handset sales to THB2 billion offsetting flat service revenue at THB14.2 billion.

Roaming sales were up 158.8 per cent to THB98 million, driven by increased international tourism.

Prepaid ARPU fell 7.6 per cent to THB114 and post-paid 3.1 per cent to THB493 respectively.

Total mobile subscribers increased 9.2 per cent to 21.1 million, with prepaid up 13.9 per cent and post-paid flat at 6.1 million.

The operator highlighted a 6.2 per cent cut in operating expenses in the first nine months, driven by measures to improve efficiency.