SoftBank, the prominent Japanese telecommunications operator, has disclosed its financial performance for the nine months ending December 31, 2023. The company reported a decrease in (Capex) capital expenditures alongside notable revenue growth across various segments.
In the specified period, capital expenditures totaled ¥463.5 billion, marking a year-on-year decrease of ¥77.1 billion. This reduction primarily stemmed from decreased investments associated with the completion of 5G coverage deployment initiatives.
Despite the decline in capital expenditures, SoftBank observed a significant increase in revenue, reaching ¥4,511.6 billion, up by ¥166.1 billion (3.8 percent) compared to the previous year. This revenue surge was attributed to several key factors across different segments:
Financial Segment: Revenue surged by ¥83.3 billion, primarily driven by the consolidation of PayPay Corporation since October 2022.
Distribution Segment: A notable increase of ¥36.1 billion was recorded, fueled by robust growth in revenue from Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and subscription services.
Media & EC Segment: Revenue witnessed a rise of ¥29.9 billion, largely due to increased revenue from account advertising and search advertising.
Enterprise Segment: Revenue in this segment grew by ¥25.5 billion, primarily attributed to heightened demand for digitalization solutions.
However, within the Consumer segment, revenue experienced a slight decline, decreasing by ¥5.9 billion (0.3 percent) year-on-year to ¥2,121.8 billion. This dip was primarily attributed to reduced revenues from electricity and mobile services, partially offset by increased revenues from sales of goods and other sources.
Specifically, mobile revenue within the Consumer segment saw a year-on-year decrease of ¥3.8 billion. This decline was mitigated compared to the previous fiscal year, primarily due to the reduced impact of mobile service price reductions in spring 2021 and an increase in smartphone subscribers, SoftBank said in its earnings report.
Notably, broadband revenue witnessed an increase of ¥4.7 billion (1.6 percent) year-on-year, driven by a rise in subscribers for the SoftBank Hikari fiber-optic service.
In the Enterprise segment, revenue increased by ¥25.5 billion (4.6 percent) year-on-year, reaching ¥576.4 billion. This growth was attributed to increases in mobile revenue, business solutions, and other revenue streams.
SoftBank’s performance underscores its resilience amidst challenging market conditions, with strategic initiatives and segment diversification contributing to overall revenue growth despite some segment-specific challenges.
