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China Tower Continues to Deepen One Core and Two Wings Development Strategy

  • Written by Media Outreach
Revenue Growth Supported by Multiple PillarsSteadily Enhancing Shareholder Returns HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Neswire - 17 March 2025 - The world's largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider China Tower Corporation Limited ("China Tower" or the "Company") (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2024. Performance Highlights
RMB Million20242023Change
Operating revenue 97,772 94,009 4.0%
EBITDA 66,559 63,551 4.7%
Profit attributable to owners of the Company 10,729 9,750 10.0%
Basic earnings per share (RMB yuan) 0.6138 0.5578 (Restated) 10.0%
Full-year dividend per share (RMB yuan) 0.41696 0.37390 (Restated)11.5%
Key operating data
Number of tower sites (thousand) 2,094 2,046 2.3%
Number of tower tenants (thousand) 3,791 3,658 3.6%
Tenancy ratio (tenants / tower site) 1.81 1.79 1.1%
In 2024, the Company's operating revenue maintained steady growth, reaching RMB97,772 million, an increase of 4.0% year-on-year. EBITDA[1] reached RMB66,559 million, an increase of 4.7% year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin[2] of 68.1%. Profit attributable to the owners of the Company reached RMB10,729 million, an increase of 10.0% year-on-year, with a net profit margin of 11.0%, demonstrating a continuous improvement in profitability. Net cash generated from operating activities amounted to RMB49,468 million, an increase of RMB16,628 million year-on-year. Capital expenditures stood at RMB31,941 million, with free cash flow[3] reaching RMB17,527 million, up by RMB16,402 million year-on-year. As at 31 December 2024, our total assets amounted to RMB332,834 million, with interest-bearing liabilities of RMB92,542 million and a gearing ratio[4] of 31.0%, representing a decrease of 0.4 percentage point from the end of 2023. Our financial position remains healthy and stable. The Company attaches great importance to shareholder returns. After considering our profitability, cash flow and future development needs, the board of directors of the Company has recommended a final dividend of RMB0.30796 per share (pre-tax)[5] for the year ended 31 December 2024. Together with the interim dividend distributed, the total full-year dividend amounted to RMB0.41696 per share (pre-tax) 5, representing an increase of 11.5% compared to 2023 and equivalent to a payout ratio of 76% of our annual distributable net profit. Solid foundation enabled stable growth in TSP Business The Company fully delivered the its role as part of a nationwide consortium of telecommunication infrastructure developers and as the leading force in new 5G infrastructure construction. We further overcame challenges in the Dual-Gigabit network joint-entry implementation, as well as in special projects such as upgrading signal strength and extending broadband coverage to all border areas. We were able to capture opportunities presented by the continuous expansion of 5G network penetration and coverage in China. By working continuously to improve resource coordination and sharing, and enhancing our professional operations, we were able to fully satisfy customer network construction needs and maintain stable growth in the TSP business. In 2024, our TSP business recorded a revenue of RMB84,119 million, an increase of 2.4% year-on-year. Tower business. We focused on high-traffic and high-value scenarios that are of keen interest to our customers, as well as other key scenarios such as high-speed railways, highways, borders and rural areas. We conducted targeted and purposive scenario-based coverage analysis and site planning, strengthened efforts to tackle difficult sites, and supported customers in building 5G premium networks in an intensive and effective manner. We developed and deployed a 3D indoor and outdoor simulation support system to visualize the coverage of planned sites and construction solutions, helping TSPs accurately implement their network coverages. By adhering to a customer-oriented philosophy, we constantly optimized our business processes, standardized business management, and improved the efficiency of order acquisition and delivery, billing and payment collection, enhancing service capabilities and customer satisfaction. In 2024, our revenue from the Tower business amounted to RMB75,689 million, an increase of 0.9% from the previous year. As at 31 December 2024, the Company managed a total of 2.094 million tower sites, an increase of 48,000 year-on-year. We have gained 120,000 new TSP tenants since the end of 2023, bringing the total number of TSP tenants to 3.544 million. Our TSP tenancy ratio increased from 1.68 at the end of 2023 to 1.72, further improving the level of co-location. DAS business. We continued to strengthen our...

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