Green Packet Bhd, which recorded a revenue of RM394 million for financial year 2010, expects a 25 per cent increase this year.

Its group managing director, CC Puan, said the revenue growth reflected the company's continuous efforts to expand network and market share locally and abroad.

In line with the revenue growth, the group's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) losses also decreased by 34 per cent to RM78 million from the previous year, he said at the briefing on the company's 2010 financial and operational performance in Petaling Jaya today.

Puan said the company ended 2010 with a number of solutions business signing deals with major operators like with US-based Time Warner Cable, and a solid increase in subscribers for its 4G business.

He said the increase in subscriber base for broadband business and more secured customers for solution segment as well stringent cost control was expected to result in its EBITDA turning positive by year-end from the current losses.

In the fourth quarter alone, the subscriber base for 4G network operator, Packet One (P1), rose by 56,000 to hit 274,000 by end-2010.

The fourth quarter was good. Our total network subscribers added for P1 in 2010 was 134,000, 101 per cent growth from 2009, he said.

Puan said Green Packet would allocate RM200-RM250 million to add another 650 additional base stations to increase coverage of its network to 55 per cent of nationwide population from current 45 per cent.

As the only provider offering both fixed and nomadic broadband in Malaysia, he said, P1 has tremendous opportunity to grow its market share in the broadband segment from the current seven per cent.

The major shareholders in P1 had decided to accelerate subscriber acquisition efforts with a specific short-term focus on the nomadic segment.

He said the company would also launch an advertising campaign during this first quarter.

As for its solutions segment, he said, Green Packet aimed to increase engagement with WiMAX operators by another 20 per cent from the current 60 operators.

The solutions business has a strong and proven track record in Asia, which we will leverage on to capture the US and Europe markets, he said. -- Bernama