AIS recorded higher profit in Q3 due to a one-time gain, with mobile growth flat as its subscriber base declined and device sales fell.

It highlighted signs of improvement in private consumption due to a recovery in the tourism sector as helping fend off tightening financial markets and macroeconomic headwinds.

Net profit grew 35 per cent year-on-year to THB8.1 billion ($223.4 million), credited to a forex gain and other one-off income totalling THB1.4 billion.

Mobile revenue was flat at THB29.3 billion. Double-digit increases in fixed broadband and other services helped offset a 13 per cent drop in SIM and device sales to THB8.7 billion.

Its 5G user based rose 54 per cent to 8.5 million, accounting for 19 per cent of its total.

Mobile subscriptions declined 2.7 per cent to 44.4 million. Post-paid grew 2.4 per cent but prepaid fell 4.5 per cent to 31.8 million, attributed to more stringent monitoring of user identification documents impacting registrations.

Prepaid ARPU rose 1.9 per cent to THB125 and post-paid fell 1.4 per cent to THB446.

Average data per user rose 11 per cent to 33GB a month, with the post-paid figure at 35.6GB.