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New Delhi: Telecom<\/a> sector revenues are expected to grow steadily in the second quarter of financial year 2023 as the benefits of low spectrum usage charge start showing, according to industry<\/a> analysts.
Reliance Jio<\/a> is expected to have stronger customer additions, as compared to a modest estimate for Bharti Airtel<\/a>, while Vodafone Idea<\/a> will continue to lose users, say analysts.
However, the sequential revenue growth will likely be weaker compared to the previous two quarters as tariff hike benefits are largely behind and subscriber additions likely to be muted, they warned.
That said, market trackers also expect the margins to improve for the industry as the industry will benefit from 45-50 days of lower spectrum usage charge. SUC was 3-3.5% of average gross revenues (AGR), but was reduced to a negligible amount on the purchase of 5G<\/a> spectrum in July.
Analysts expect Bharti Airtel revenues to grow 3-3.6% on-quarter to reach Rs 336.6-339.8 billion in the financial quarter ended September 2022. Airtel is expected to show the highest addition in 4G customers, pushing its average revenue per person (ARPU<\/a>) up by 1.5-3% to reach in the range of Rs 186-190. Analysts also estimate the telco's EBITDA margin<\/a> to improve by 60-110 basis points to stand at 51.4% by the end of Q2 FY23.
Jio's revenues are expected to grow 3-4% on-quarter on account of strong customer growth, expected to be at 8-10 million by the end of the September quarter. Customer growth will happen on account of strong gross additions and lower churn after the company's subscriber cleanup in the previous financial year.
Analysts project a marginal 1-1.7% increase in ARPU for Jio to Rs 177 due to higher days in the quarter and better subscriber mix. The company's EBITDA margins are expected to expand by 110 bps to reach 51.2% in Q2 FY23.
Vodafone Idea's subscriber loss is expected to continue with the cash-strapped telco projected to lose 3.4-4 million customers in the September quarter, although the ARPU is expected to rise 2-3% to Rs 132 on account of premiumisation and additional days in the quarter.
Indus Towers<\/a>' fate will continue to be tied to Vodafone Idea's as the tower company's revenues are being projected to be flat on-year with net income declining 12% on-year. Both rental revenue and EBITDA of Indus Towers is expected to decline sequentially as the recent contract renewals were offered at a discounted rate and the exit penalty will taper off. That said, the tower and tenancy growth is expected to be higher than the first quarter of FY23.
\"In our Indus Towers quarterly forecast, we continue to assume that VIL will remain a going concern in the medium term and the dues will be collected, albeit with a delay. This can result in a divergence between the company reported operating profits with our forecasts,\" BNP Paribas said in a report.
Analysts also expect industry-wide voice minutes to rise 2.1% on-quarter, while data subscription addition is expected to be moderate on account of expensive smartphone prices. Data volumes, however, are expected to grow 3.9% sequentially in Q2FY23.
Market trackers are also projecting the upcoming tariff hikes to happen in FY23 due to a lack of near term catalysts for the industry due to a decline in smartphone shipments and subscriber base.
\"We expect operators to take one more tariff hike in FY23 as the industry prioritises profitability, especially after the large investments in the recently-concluded 5G spectrum auction,\" the BNP Paribas report said.
Focus during the upcoming earnings calls will be on the telcos' commentary on 5G launch and monetisation and capex outlook, while all eyes will be on Indus Towers commentary on the receivables situation.
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