Robi Axiata PLC has reported a sharp rise in annual profit, buoyed by strong data demand, even as overall revenue growth remained subdued amid high inflation and pressure on consumer spending.
The Dhaka-listed mobile operator said profit after tax (PAT) for the final quarter of 2025 reached Tk 311.9 crore, bringing full-year PAT to Tk 937.1 crore.
Total revenue for 2025 edged up 0.4 per cent year-on-year to Tk 9,992.2 crore. While voice revenue declined 2.9 per cent compared with 2024, data revenue grew 5.1 per cent, reflecting the continued shift by customers towards mobile internet services.
Earnings per share for the year rose 33.3 per cent to Tk 1.79.
The board has recommended a cash dividend of 17.5 per cent, equivalent to Tk 1.75 per share, representing 97.8 per cent of 2025 profit. The proposal was approved at a board meeting on 19 February 2026 and is set to be considered at the company’s 30th annual general meeting on 22 April, 2026.
Capital expenditure for the year totalled Tk 1,304.1 crore, as the operator expanded its network footprint. Robi said it paid Tk 6,201.1 crore to the government exchequer in 2025 — equivalent to 62 per cent of annual revenue — underlining what executives described as a heavy tax burden on the sector.
Active subscribers stood at 57.4 million at the end of 2025. Of those, 44.5 million were data users and 39.9 million were 4G customers. Data users accounted for 77.5 per cent of Robi’s active base, while 69.5 per cent were on 4G — proportions the company said were the highest among operators in Bangladesh.
Fourth-quarter revenue rose 2.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 2,584.9 crore taka. Voice revenue grew 0.5 per cent over the previous quarter, while data revenue increased 4.6 per cent. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the quarter stood at Tk 1,294.8 crore, up 0.1 per cent sequentially, with a margin of 50.1 per cent. Quarterly earnings per share were 0.6 taka.
Robi invested 686.2 crore taka in capital expenditure during the fourth quarter and contributed 1,596.9 crore taka to the public purse over the same period — again around 62 per cent of quarterly revenue.
The company said it now operates more than 19,000 4G sites, covering 98.98 per cent of the population. Having been the first operator to launch 5G services in Bangladesh, Robi added that it was continuing to develop the ecosystem needed to expand next-generation connectivity.
Ziad Shatara, managing director and chief executive, said the company had achieved positive revenue growth “despite continued slide in voice revenue”, driven by an increase in data and 4G users and higher data consumption per customer.
He added that sustained inflation and challenging macroeconomic conditions had constrained consumer spending, while tax contributions equivalent to 62 per cent of revenue pointed to “an excessively burdensome tax regime impeding industry progress”.
Nevertheless, with nearly 70 per cent of active subscribers now using 4G services, Shatara said Robi was positioning itself as the operator of choice for Bangladesh’s increasingly digital population.