Taiwan Cellular Corp, the nation's biggest mobile telephone company, posted a 42 percent gain in pretax profit in the second quarter as an increase in customers boosted sales, analysts said.
They cited a database provided by the Taiwan Economic Journal newspaper. The database numbers couldn't be independently verified.
Taiwan Cellular's pretax profit rose to NT$4.41 billion (US$127 million) in the quarter ended June 30 from NT$3.11 billion in the year-ago period, according to Carl Berrisford, an HSBC Securities Ltd. analyst in Taipei who said he had seen the database numbers. Another analyst who declined to be identified confirmed the figures.
Taiwan Cellular spokesman William Newton wouldn't comment on the reported numbers. The company is expected to release its results at a news conference Monday at 2:30pm.
Taiwan Cellular added 1.5 million customers from Sept. 30 last year to June 30. Analysts including Berrisford say the company won't add as many customers this year because the Taiwan cell phone market is almost saturated.
The four island-wide mobile phone companies have about 20 million customers out of a total population of 22.4 million. That limits potential growth in sales and earnings, analysts say.
Taiwan Cellular's sales in July were unchanged from June's NT$4.25 billion.
The company's stock declined NT$0.5, or 1.3 percent, to NT$39.5 on Friday. The shares have plunged 54 percent since they were sold to the public at NT$86 in September last year.
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