Singtel was tipped to be considering an acquisition of Amaysim Australia, a Sydney-based MVNO which uses the network of the Singapore-based company’s local subsidiary Optus, Bloomberg reported.

Amaysim has about 1.1 million mobile subscribers, the news agency stated. GSMA Intelligence data showed Optus had 10.2 million connections (excluding cellular IoT) at end-June, giving it a 31.5 per cent market share. Telstra is the market leader with a 50.1 per cent share.

Bloomberg said Singtel retained Bank of America two weeks ago to assess a possible bid and there is no decision either on whether to make a move, or the size of the stake it might take if it proceeds.

Amaysim said in October 2017 it introduced “revolutionary” AUD10 ($7.36) and AUD20 mobile plans featuring 1GB and 2.5GB of data respectively, along with unlimited talk and text on Optus’ 4G network.

Earlier in the month Optus reported its net profit in fiscal Q1 (the three months to end-June) fell 3.5 per cent year-on-year to AUD154 million. Total mobile revenue increased 7.9 per cent to AUD1.3 billion as its mobile customer base grew 4.2 per cent year-on-year to 10.2 million, with post paid numbers up 6.7 per cent and prepaid subs stable. Blended ARPU fell 2 per cent to AUD32 due to an increasing mix of SIM-only plans and data price competition.

In addition to Optus in Australia, Singtel owns shares in mobile operators in Indonesia (Telkomsel), India (Airtel), the Philippines (Globe Telecom) and Thailand (AIS).