Partner Communications Company Ltd.

Q1 2022 Earnings Conference Call

5/24/2022

spk00: Thank you. And thank you to all our listeners for joining us on this conference call to discuss partner communication first quarter results for the year 2022. With me on the call today is Tamir Amar, Partners Deputy CEO and CFO. Avitz V, Partners' outgoing CEO, sends his apologies that he cannot join the call today. Tamir will provide an update on Partners' business development, and a detailed discussion of our quarterly financial and operational results, after which we will move on to the Q&A. Before we begin, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that our statement in this conference call may be a forward-looking statement, within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Security Act of 1933 as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Security Exchange Act of 1934 as amended, and the safe harbor provision of the U.S. Private Security Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Regarding such forward-looking statements, you should be aware that partners' actual results might vary materially from those projected in the forward-looking statement. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are contained in partner press release dated May 24, 2022, as well as partners filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 20F, F1, and 6K, as well as the F3 Shelf Registration Statement, all of which are readily available. Please note that the information in this conference call related to projection or other forward-looking statements is subject to the previous Safe Harbor Statement as of the date of this call. For your information, this call is also being broadcast over the internet and can be accessed through our website. If you have any further questions following the call, please feel free to contact me at 972-547-815051. I will now turn the call over to Partner Deputy CEO and CFO, Tamir Amar. Tamir? Thank you, Amir.
spk02: Good morning, everyone, and good afternoon to those who joined us from Israel. And welcome to our Ending Conference call. Partner continued with its positive financial momentum and started 2022 with excellent results which demonstrated the company's ability to combine subscriber and revenue growth with improvement in profitability. Parnell continues to lead 5G in Israel with a high rate of cellular subscriber-based growth with consistent addition of new subscribers at the same time as chain rates continue to fall. Use on a KPIs level, our cellular subscriber base increased in the quarter by 40,000 subscribers, of which 37,000 were post-state subscribers. The cellular chain rate in the first quarter of 2022 totaled 7%, excluding Ministry of Education subscribers, chain rate totaled 6.7% compared to 6.9% in the corresponding quarter last year. ARPA in the first quarter remained stable at 48 shekels for the fifth consecutive quarter. The solar segment achieved service revenue growth for a fourth consecutive quarter together with a higher profitability than was achieved in the previous and corresponding quarter last year. Turning to the fixed line segment with 807,000 households connected to the fiber optics network as of today, We are on track to reach about 1 million homes connected by the end of 2022. The increase in fiber optic subscribers continues and even achieved a record high for quarterly growth as the fiber optic subscriber base increased by 21,000 in the quarter. Partner fiber optic subscriber base totaled 233,000 at the end of the quarter, reflecting a 30% penetration rate from potential customers in connected buildings, unchanged from the rate at the end of the previous quarter and the corresponding quarter last year. Partner has become, this year, a national infrastructure player in the fixed-line segment as well. This transition is threatened by an impressive fiber optic rollout rate and the signing of significant deals which will benefit the company's future, including the Tamaris Telecom and Free TV. Regarding TV, we have returned to our original strategy of a super aggregator, and we offer today to the customer a focused and flexible product that provides the freedom to choose what to watch and what to pay for. The number of subscribers total 225,000 at the end of the quarter. This trend in the fixed-line segment resulted in an increase of 29% in adjusted EBITDA compared to the corresponding quarter last year, together with an improvement in the profitability margin to 28% compared with 22% in the corresponding quarter of 2021. On the company level, Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2022 totaled 257 million shekels, an increase of 23% compared to 209 million shekels in the corresponding quarter last year. Adjusted free cash flow for the quarter totaled 25 million shekels. CapEx payment totaled 117 million shekels. Net debt was 720 million shekels at the end of the quarter compared with 639 million shekels at the end of the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 81 million shekels. The company's net debt to adjust debita ratio stood at 0.7 at the end of the quarter compared to a ratio of 0.8 in the previous quarter and the corresponding quarter last year. I will now be happy to open the call for questions. Moderator, please begin the Q&A.
spk01: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time we will begin the question and answer session. If you have a question, please press star 1. If you wish to cancel your request, please press star 2. If you are using speaker equipment, kindly lift your hands up before pressing the numbers. Your questions will be polled in the order they are received. Please stand by while we poll for your questions.
spk02: I repeat, if you have a question, please press star 1.
spk01: There are no questions at this time. Before I ask Mr. Amar to go ahead with his closing statement, I would like to remind participants that a replay of this call is scheduled to begin in two hours. In the U.S., please call 1-888-254-7270. In Israel, please call 0392-55921. And internationally, please call 972-392-55921. The recording is also available on the company's website, www.partner.co.il. Mr. Amar, would you like to make your concluding statement?
spk02: Yes, thank you. As I stated in our press release, the improvement in financial and operational measures is due to the work and commitment of the company's dedicated employees and to the clear strategy which was outlined by management over the last year. Thank you all again for joining. We are, of course, at your service if you have any additional questions. Have a good day.
Disclaimer

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