Magyar Telekom results for the fourth quarter of 2020 Budapest, February 25, 2021 17:30
Magyar Telekom today reported its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2020 , in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as endorsed by the EU. The quarterly financial report contains unaudited figures for each reporting periods.
Highlights:
Total revenues increased by 3.6% year-on-year to HUF 188.9 billion in Q4 2020 thanks to increases in telecommunication service revenues in both countries coupled with higher equipment sales, and a positive foreign exchange impact stemming from the strengthening of the denar compared to the forint . For the full year 2020, revenues were up 1.0% at HUF 673.0 billion as the mentioned positive impacts were mitigated by lower Hungarian SI/IT revenues.
Mobile revenues were up 3.6% year-on-year to HUF 97.9 billion in Q4 2020 , and 2.9% higher at HUF 364.6 billion in 2020, thanks to higher mobile data and equipment sales revenues which could fully offset lower retail voice revenues.
Fixed line revenues increased by 5.4% year-on-year, to HUF 58.0 billion in Q4 2020 and by 3.0% to HUF 219.0 billion in 2020 as the continued decline in voice revenues was fully offset by improvements in broadband and TV revenues at both operations.
System Integration (SI) and IT ( SI/IT') revenues were moderately up at HUF 33.0 billion in Q4 2020 . In Hungary, revenue contraction slowed to 2.9% year-on-year in Q4 2020 reflecting higher deliveries to the public and financial sectors, whereas in North Macedonia, strong increase was recorded in relation to a hardware delivery project. In full year 2020, SI/ IT revenues recorded a decline of 10.2% to HUF 89.5 billion, driven by lower volumes of implementation projects delivered primarily to the public sector in Hungary that could not be offset by higher customized solution projects related revenues in North Macedonia.
Direct costs increased by 3.0% year-on-year to HUF 90.9 billion in Q4 2020 mostly driven by higher equipment costs. For 2020, direct costs were up by 1.7% year-on-year at HUF 297.5 billion reflecting increases in telecom tax and other direct costs partly mitigated by lower SI/IT expenses.
Interconnect costs increased by 10.7% year-on-year to HUF 5.9 billion in Q4 2020, reflecting the sharp increase in off-network mobile voice traffic primarily visible at the North Macedonian operation, that led to higher payments to domestic mobile operators.
SI/IT service-related costs increased moderately year-on-year to HUF 23.7 billion in Q4 2020, reflecting slightly higher volume of related projects. In full year 2020, SI/IT service-related costs declined by 12.2% to HUF 63.3 billion driven by lower volume of implementation projects in Hungary during the year.
Bad debt expenses decreased by 20.7% year-on-year to HUF 2.5 billion in Q4 2020, thanks to favorable aging of receivables in Hungary, particularly in mobile coupled with absence of negative one-off items impacting Q4 2019 results in North Macedonia that combined more than offset a moderate increase related to COVID-19 effects. However, in full year 2020 bad debt expenses were up by 7.3% at HUF 9.7 billion, reflecting the absence of a one-off favorable impact resulting from a reduction of the impairment rates applied to the Hungarian fixed and mobile operations during 2019, partially offset by the favorable aging of mobile receivables at the Hungarian operation and the absence of one-off impairments in North Macedonia.
Telecom taxrose by 11.4% year-on-year to HUF 6.7 billion in Q4 2020, driven by increases in mobile voice traffic in the business and residential segments and higher residential landline usage in Hungary.
Other direct costs were up 3.8% year-on-year at HUF 52.2 billion in Q4 2020, driven primarily by higher equipment costs in both countries coupled with an increase in the Hungarian TV content outpayments, latter also reflecting the weakening of the forint against the euro. These could only be partially offset by lower roaming outpayments.
Gross profit improved by 4.1% year-on-year to HUF 97.9 billion in Q4 2020 thanks to higher contribution from telecommunication services partly counterbalanced by lower roaming results in both countries of operation. Gross profit was up moderately to HUF 375.6 billion in 2020 , as the positive telecommunication service trends were mitigated by lower Hungarian SI/IT contribution.
Indirect costs improved by 3.0% year-on-year, to HUF 35.3 billion in Q4 2020, and by 2.6% year-on-year to HUF 149.7 billion in 2020 , thanks to broad-based cost saving measures implemented at the Hungarian operation.
Employee-related expenses rose up by 4.0% year-on-year to HUF 20.6 billion in Q4 2020. The increase was reflecting a one-time bonus payment to employees in the frame of a Deutsche Telekom Group wide initiative coupled with moderately higher severance related expenses. In full year 2020,employee-related expenses improved by 1.5% year-on-year to HUF 79.0 billion, reflecting a reduction in headcount partly offset by the combined impacts of the general wage increase, a rise in bonus payments and higher severance expenses.
Other operating expenses improved by 8.6% year-on-year to HUF 18.4 billion in Q4 2020, primarily due to savings in marketing, advisory and maintenance expenses.
Other operating income was moderately up at HUF 3.7 billion in Q4 2020, driven by income related to real estate sales in Hungary. In full year 2020, other operating income decreased to HUF 5.8 billion in 2020 from HUF 7.6 billion in 2019, as on an annual basis profits realized from real estate sales in Hungary declined.
EBITDA rose by 8.6% year-on-year to HUF 62.6 billion in Q4 2020, and by 2.4% to HUF 225.9 billion in full year 2020, as the result of higher gross profit co
