By P.R. Venkat

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.'s fourth quarter net profit fell 26% on year due to weakness in its Australia business and a regulatory costs it shared with its Indian associate company.

Net profit for the quarter that ended March came in 574.40 million Singapore dollars (US$404.56 million), while revenue was 10% lower at S$3.90 billion, Singtel said Thursday.

The net profit came in better-than-expected compared to S$357 million forecast projected by an analyst poll by FactSet.

Singtel said that it was not providing guidance for the next financial year that began April due to the uncertainties the businesses are likely to face from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Southeast Asia's largest telecommunications company by subscribers said that it was also cutting its dividend payout for the last fiscal year in order to conserve cash and have financial headroom to cope with the pandemic. 



  Write to P.R. Venkat at venkat.pr@wsj.com