FS Annual 2009 English STC
FS Annual 2009 English STC
FS Annual 2009 English STC
Page
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Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2009
(Saudi Riyals in thousands)
Notes 2009 2008
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents 3 7,710,078 8,061,169
Accounts receivable, net 4 11,461,225 8,120,037
Prepayments and other current assets 5 3,491,858 2,765,190
Total current assets 22,663,161 18,946,396
Non-current assets:
Property, plant and equipment, net 6 52,736,873 44,381,539
Intangible assets, net 7 29,221,786 31,695,114
Equity method and other investments 8 2,532,926 2,451,736
Other non-current assets 9 2,432,730 2,287,350
Total non-current assets 86,924,315 80,815,739
Total assets 109,587,476 99,762,135
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable 10 7,656,719 6,648,722
Other payables 11 4,818,569 4,334,601
Accrued expenses 12 6,205,099 5,762,320
Deferred revenues 2,081,262 2,248,478
Borrowings – current portion 13 8,579,020 3,904,714
Total current liabilities 29,340,669 22,898,835
Non-current liabilities:
Borrowings – non-current portion 13 22,711,062 28,081,220
Employees’ end of service benefits 14 2,843,869 2,738,025
Other payables 3,858,928 3,482,178
Total non-current liabilities 29,413,859 34,301,423
Total liabilities 58,754,528 57,200,258
Equity
Shareholders’ equity:
Authorized, issued and outstanding shares 15 20,000,000 20,000,000
Statutory reserve 16 9,298,723 8,233,141
Retained earnings 13,552,367 9,783,301
Financial statements` translation differences (816,265) (378,464)
Total shareholders’ equity 42,034,825 37,637,978
Minority interest 8,798,123 4,923,899
Total Equity 50,832,948 42,561,877
Total liabilities and equity 109,587,476 99,762,135
The accompanying notes from 1 to 30 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 3
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Consolidated Statement of Income for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
(Saudi Riyals in thousands)
Operating Expenses
Government charges 18 (5,664,399) (5,541,955)
Access charges (7,494,284) (6,130,577)
Employee costs 19 (6,771,597) (6,164,272)
Depreciation and amortization 6,7 (7,798,739) (6,407,514)
Administrative and marketing expenses 20 (7,614,336) (5,762,088)
Repairs and maintenance (2,623,145) (2,127,821)
Total operating expenses (37,966,500) (32,134,227)
Operating Income 12,813,587 15,335,141
Other Income and Expenses
Cost of early retirement program (810,914) (675,000)
Finance cost 21 (1,385,300) (1,432,201)
Commissions on Murabaha and deposits 3, 8 361,957 623,608
Other, net 22 1,151,038 (1,809,194)
Other income and expenses, net (683,219) (3,292,787)
Net Income before Minority interest, Zakat and Tax 12,130,368 12,042,354
Provision for Zakat 23 (334,513) (375,513)
Provision for Tax 24 (642,042) (456,829)
Net Income before Minority interest 11,153,813 11,210,012
Minority interest (290,457) (172,166)
Net Income 10,863,356 11,037,846
Basic earnings per share on Operating Income (in Saudi Riyals) 6.41 7.67
Basic losses per share on Other Operations (in Saudi Riyals) (0.34) (1.65)
Basic earnings per share on Net Income (in Saudi Riyals) 5.43 5.52
The accompanying notes from 1 to 30 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 4
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
(Saudi Riyals in thousands)
2009 2008
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income 10,863,356 11,037,846
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
Depreciation and amortization 7,798,739 6,407,514
Doubtful debts expense 1,507,983 913,992
Earnings from investments accounted for under the equity method (79,609) (45,456)
Losses on sale/disposal of property, plant and equipment 112,818 419,551
Gains on sale of investments (682,339) -
Changes in:
Accounts receivable (4,849,171) (4,061,041)
Prepayments and other current assets (726,668) (1,378,871)
Other non-current assets (145,380) 1,928,765
Accounts payable 1,007,997 3,566,642
Other payables 766,648 1,046,521
Accrued expenses 442,779 175,598
Deferred revenues (167,216) 332,157
Employees’ end of service benefits 105,844 805,728
Net cash flows from operating activities 15,955,781 21,148,946
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures (15,636,871) (16,278,076)
Intangible assets, net 1,781,658 (19,234,731)
Equity method and other investments - (29,839)
Dividends received from investments accounted for under
the equity method 23,288 16,384
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 289,550 57,839
Net cash used in investing activities (13,542,375) (35,468,423)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Dividends paid (5,942,869) (8,551,934)
Borrowings, net (695,852) 18,406,182
Minority interest 3,874,224 4,908,270
Net cash (used in) / provided by financing activities (2,764,497) 14,762,518
NET (DECREASE)/INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (351,091) 443,041
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF YEAR 8,061,169 7,618,128
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF YEAR 7,710,078 8,061,169
The accompanying notes from 1 to 30 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 5
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
(Saudi Riyals in thousands)
Financial
Statements`
Share Statutory Retained Translation Minority Total
Capital Reserve Earnings Differences Interest Equity
Balance at December 31, 2007 20,000,000 7,020,710 8,658,704 196,839 15,629 35,891,882
Net income - - 11,037,846 - - 11,037,846
Dividends - - (8,500,000) - - (8,500,000)
Transfer to statutory reserve - 1,212,431 (1,212,431) - - -
Financial statements` translation differences - - - (575,303) - (575,303)
Minority interest - - - - 4,908,270 4,908,270
Other - - (200,818) - - (200,818)
Balance at December 31, 2008 20,000,000 8,233,141 9,783,301 (378,464) 4,923,899 42,561,877
Net income - - 10,863,356 - - 10,863,356
Dividends - - (6,036,939) - - (6,036,939)
Transfer to statutory reserve - 1,065,582 (1,065,582) - - -
Financial statements` translation differences - - - (437,801) - (437,801)
Minority interest - - - - 3,874,224 3,874,224
Other - - 8,231 - - 8,231
Balance at December 31, 2009 20,000,000 9,298,723 13,552,367 (816,265) 8,798,123 50,832,948
The accompanying notes from 1 to 30 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 6
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
1 GENERAL
Saudi Telecom Company (the “Company”) was established as a Saudi Joint Stock Company pursuant
to Royal Decree No. M/35, dated 24 Dhul Hijja 1418 H (April 21, 1998) which authorized the transfer
of the telegraph and telephone division of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone (“MoPTT”)
(hereinafter referred to as “Telecom Division”) with its various components and technical and
administrative facilities to the Company, and in accordance with the Council of Ministers’ Resolution
No. 213 dated 23 Dhul Hijja 1418 H (April 20, 1998) which approved the Company’s Articles of
Association (the “Articles”). The Company was wholly owned by the Government of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia (the “Government”). Pursuant to the Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. 171 dated 2
Rajab 1423 H (September 9, 2002), the Government sold 30% of its shares.
The Company commenced its operations as the provider of telecommunications services throughout
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the “Kingdom”) on 6 Muharram 1419 H (May 2, 1998), and received
its Commercial Registration No. 1010150269 as a Saudi Joint Stock Company on 4 Rabi Awal 1419 H
(June 29, 1998). The Company’s head office is located in Riyadh.
The Company has various investments in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures, collectively
known for the financial statements purposes as (the “Group”). The details of these investments are as
follows:
Company Name Ownership Accounting Treatment
Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. - The
Kingdom 100% Full Consolidation
STC Bahrain ( BSCC) – Bahrain 100% Full Consolidation
Gulf Digital Media Holding (BSCC) – Bahrain (Investco) 51% Full Consolidation
Tejari Saudi Arabia - The Kingdom 50% Has been excluded
Kuwait Telecom Company Ltd. - Kuwait 26% Full Consolidation
PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler (“NTS”) - Indonesia 51% Proportionate Consolidation
Oger Telecom Ltd. - U.A.E. 35% Proportionate Consolidation
Binariang GSM SDN BHD (“Binariang”) - Malaysia 25% Proportionate Consolidation
Arab Submarine Cables Company Ltd. - The Kingdom 48.6% Equity Method
Arab Satellite Communications Organization (“Arabsat”) -
The Kingdom 36.66% Equity Method
The main activities of the Group comprise the provision of a variety of telecommunications services
which include mobile (second and third generations), fixed local national and international telephone
services and data services such as data transmission, leased lines, internet services and e-commerce.
Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. (AwalNet) – The Kingdom
The Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. (a limited liability company) was established
in April 2002. The company is engaged in providing internet services, operation of communications
projects and transmission and processing of information.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 7
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 8
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 9
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
2. Other than what is mentioned in (1) above, property, plant and equipment acquired by the Group
are recorded at historical cost.
3. Cost of the network comprises all expenditures up to the customer connection point, including
contractors’ charges, direct materials and labor costs up to the date the relevant assets are placed
in service.
4. Property, plant and equipment, excluding land, are depreciated on a straight line basis over the
following estimated useful lives:
Years
Buildings 20 – 50
Telecommunications plant and equipment 3 – 25
Other assets 2–8
5. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred, except to the extent that they increase
productivity or extend the useful life of an asset, in which case they are capitalized.
6. Gains and losses resulting from the disposal/ sale of property, plant and equipment are
determined by comparing the proceeds with the book values of disposed-off / sold assets, and
the gains or losses are included in the consolidated statement of income.
7. Leases of property, plant and equipment where the Group assumes substantially all benefits and
risks of ownership are classified as finance leases. Finance leases are capitalized at the inception
of the lease at the lower of the fair value and the present value of the minimum lease payments.
Each lease payment is to be allocated between the finance charge which is expensed in the
current period and the reduction in the liability under the finance lease.
Assets leased under finance leases are depreciated over their estimated useful lives.
h) Software costs
• Costs of operating systems and application software purchased from vendors are capitalized if
they meet the capitalization criteria, which include productivity enhancement or a noticeable
increase in the useful life of the asset. These costs are amortized over the estimated period for
which the benefits will be received.
• Internally developed operating systems, software costs are capitalized if they meet the
capitalization criteria, which include the dedication of a defined internal work group to
develop the software and the ability to readily identify related costs. These costs are amortized
over the estimated period for which the benefits will be received.
• Internally developed application software costs are recognized as expense when incurred.
Where the costs of operating systems software cannot be identified separately from the
associated hardware costs, the operating systems software costs are recorded as part of the
hardware.
• Subsequent additions, modifications or upgrades of software programs, whether operating or
application packages, are expensed as incurred.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 10
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
In the consolidated financial statements, the Group reports its interests in jointly controlled entities
using proportionate consolidation, whereby the Company’s share of the assets, liabilities, income and
expenses of jointly controlled entities is combined on a line-by-line basis with the equivalent items in
the Company’s financial statements.
Goodwill arising on the acquisition of the Group’s interest in a jointly controlled entity is accounted
for in accordance with the Group’s accounting policy for goodwill.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 11
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
Other investments
• Available for sale marketable securities are carried at fair value, which is based on market
value when available. However, if fair value cannot be determined, due to non-availability of
an active exchange market or other indexes through which market value can reasonably be
determined, cost will be considered as the alternative fair value. Unrealized gains and losses
are shown as a separate component within equity in the consolidated balance sheet. Losses
resulting from permanent declines in fair values below costs are recorded in the consolidated
statement of income in the period in which the declines occur.
• Investments held to maturity are recorded at cost and adjusted for amortization of premiums
and accretion of discounts, if any. Losses resulting from permanent declines in fair values
below costs are recorded in the consolidated statement of income in the period in which the
declines occur.
• Gains and loses resulting from sales of available for sale securities are recorded in the period
of sale, and previously recorded unrealized gains and losses are reversed.
l) Zakat
The Company calculates and reports the zakat provision in its financial statements in accordance with
Zakat rules and principles, and the instructions of the Department of Zakat and Income Taxes in the
Kingdom. Adjustments arising from final zakat assessments are recorded in the period in which such
assessments are approved.
m) Taxes
Taxes relating to entities invested in outside the Kingdom are calculated in accordance with tax laws
applicable in their countries.
Deferred tax assets
Deferred tax assets of foreign entities are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future
taxable profits will be available against which the temporary differences of the foreign entities can be
utilized. This involves judgement regarding the future financial performance of the particular entity in
which the deferred tax asset has been recognised.
n) Employees’ end of service benefits
The provision for employees’ end of service benefits represents amounts due and payable to the
employees upon the termination of their contracts, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
laws applicable in the Kingdom and the countries invested in.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 12
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 13
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
(b) Since inception, the Company recognizes revenues from services rendered to particular customers
upon collection where collectability is highly uncertain. The Company is currently pursuing the
collection of these revenues. Uncollected revenues from such customers for the year 2009
amounted to SR 101 million (2008: SR 115 million), with an annual average of SR 189 million for
the ten years preceding 2009.
(c) The Company has agreements with outside network operators whereby amounts receivable from
and payable to the same operator are subject to offsetting. At December 31, the net amounts
included in accounts receivable and accounts payable were as follows:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Accounts receivable, net 4,184,337 2,339,352
Accounts payable, net 4,722,120 3,350,564
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 14
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
(d) In accordance with paragraph (7) of the Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. 171 referred to in
Note (1), the Company settles the amounts due to the Government as government charges against
accumulated receivable balances due from Government for usage of the Company’s telecom
services.
(a) Land and buildings above include land of SR 2,260 million as of December 31, 2009 (December
31, 2008: SR 2,404 million).
(b) In accordance with the Royal Decree referred to in Note (1), the ownership of assets had been
transferred to the Company as of May 2, 1998. However, the transfer of legal ownership of
certain land parcels is still in progress. Land parcels for which legal ownership has been
transferred into the Company’ name amounted to SR 1,896 million as of December 31, 2009. The
transfer of the ownership of the remaining land parcels with a value of SR 241 million is still in
progress.
(c) Movements in cost and accumulated depreciation of investees include the results of the fair value
study of the investment in Ojer Telecom Ltd, which was concluded in the first quarter 2009.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 16
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
Other investments:
Held to maturity:
Investment in Sabic’s Sukuk 150,000 150,000
Total investments 2,532,926 2,451,736
Investments in Sukuk
Represents the group’s share in the investment in sukuk, which was made by one of the Group’s
entities in December 2007. Maturity is 10 years, and commission margin is equivalent to the
Kuala Lumpur Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“KLIBOR”) plus 0.45%. This financing is a part of
related party transactions within the Group.
Investment in Sabic’s Sukuk
The Sukuk were acquired from the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation “Sabic” in July 2006 for
SR 150 million, with maturity of 5 years up to July 2011, and a commission rate equal to the Saudi
Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“SIBOR”) plus 0.40%. Commission earned from these Sukuk during the
year amounted to SR 2.4 million (2008: SR 6.4 million).
10 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Accounts payable consist of the following:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Outside network operators` settlements (Refer to Note 4-c) 3,882,180 3,249,287
Trade 2,653,173 2,257,873
Government charges (Refer to Note 4-d) 684,878 926,429
Capital expenditures 409,609 200,981
Due to related parties 26,879 14,152
7,656,719 6,648,722
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 17
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
11 OTHER PAYABLES
Other payables consist of the following:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Provision for Zakat and Tax (Refer to Notes 23 & 24) 1,089,616 816,044
Suppliers’ retentions 996,099 1,164,888
Withholding tax provision 931,455 754,934
Customers’ refundable deposits and other provisions 639,088 635,955
Frequency evacuation project (Refer to Note 5) 250,000 250,000
Settlement of seconded employees’ entitlements 119,052 119,052
Other 793,259 593,728
4,818,569 4,334,601
“Other” comprises different items, the main ones being: Social insurance, sports clubs sponsoring and
non-trade payables.
12 ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accrued expenses consist of the following:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Capital expenditures 2,511,149 2,800,160
Trade 2,130,186 1,391,938
Employee accruals 1,103,033 1,046,653
Other 460,731 523,569
6,205,099 5,762,320
13 BORROWINGS
They are composed of:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Current portion 8,579,020 3,904,714
Non-current portion 22,711,062 28,081,220
31,290,082 31,985,934
Oger Telecom Ltd.
As of December 31, 2009, the Group’s share in the investees’ borrowings and bank facilities
amounted to SR 8,851 million.
Binariang
As of December 31, 2009, the Group`s share was SR 3,473 million in the Sukuk, and SR 5,321 million
in the bank facilities. The Sukuk were utilized in financing the acquisition of outstanding shares of
Maxis, the Malaysian holding group.
NTS
As of December 31, 2009, the Group`s share in the Murabaha financing facilities was SR 464 million .
The Company
During the third quarter 2007, the Company obtained financing facilities in the forms of Murabaha
deals from several local banks. Maturity is 60 months, the amounts utilized of the facilities as of
December 31, 2009 amounted to SR 6,000 million.
In April 2008, the Company obtained financing facilities in the forms of Murabaha deals from several
local banks. Maturity is 120 months, the amounts utilized of the facilities as of December 31, 2009
amounted to SR 9,500 million.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 18
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
During the fourth quarter 2008, the Company started repayment of due installments of the financing
facilities. Amounts settled as of December 31, 2009 amounted to SR 2,319 million, of which SR 2,037
million were settled during the year ended December 31, 2009.
15 SHARE CAPITAL
At December 31, 2008, the Company’s capital amounts to SR 20,000 million, divided into 2,000
million fully paid shares at par value of SR 10 each. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, the
Government owned 70% of the Company’s shares
16 STATUTORY RESERVE
As per the Company’s Articles of Association, 10% of annual net income is appropriated as statutory
reserve until such reserve equals 50% of issued share capital. This reserve is not available for
distribution to the Company’s shareholders. During the year 2009 the Company appropriated an
amount of SR 1,066 million (2008: SR 1,212 million). The statutory reserve on December 31, 2009
amounted to SR 9,299 million, which represents 46.5% of share capital (December 31, 2008: SR 8,233
million, which represents 41.2% of share capital).
17 OPERATING REVENUES
Operating revenues consist of the following:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Usage charges 36,359,130 36,686,535
Subscription fees 12,482,543 9,881,541
Activation fees 422,954 454,049
Other 1,515,460 447,243
50,780,087 47,469,368
18 GOVERNMENT CHARGES
The Government charges for the year were follows:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Commercial service provisioning 4,744,136 4,654,208
License fees 372,021 365,416
Frequency spectrum 548,242 522,331
5,664,399 5,541,955
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 19
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
19 EMPLOYEE COSTS
Employee costs consist of the following:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Salaries and allowances 4,436,365 3,972,226
Incentives and rewards 716,106 634,139
Social insurance 510,377 442,652
End of service benefits 424,267 423,080
Medical insurance 172,043 176,486
Other 512,439 515,689
6,771,597 6,164,272
“Other” comprises different items, the main ones being: Postage and courier, security and safety
expenses, and collection commissions.
21 FINANCE COST
Composed of:
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
The Company 221,863 474,705
Other Group’s companies 1,163,437 957,496
1,385,300 1,432,201
23 ZAKAT
(a) Zakat base for the Company
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Share capital – beginning of the year 20,000,000 20,000,000
Additions:
Retained earnings – beginning of the year 11,071,370 8,659,488
Statutory reserve – beginning of the year 8,233,141 7,020,710
Provisions – beginning of the year 4,479,769 3,858,603
Adjusted net income 13,274,741 14,915,716
Total additions 37,059,021 34,454,517
Deductions:
Net property, plant & equipment, capital work in progress
and intangible assets (limited to shareholders’ equity
before Zakat) (37,545,655) (36,784,489)
Dividends paid (5,942,869) (8,551,934)
Investments (21,868,171) (20,883,579)
Non-current deferred costs (410,177) (518,392)
Total deductions (65,766,872) (66,738,394)
Zakat base (8,707,851) (12,283,877)
Since the Zakat base is less than the adjusted net income, the Zakat rate of 2.5% is applied to
adjusted net income to determine the Zakat charge.
(b) Zakat provision
(Thousands of Saudi Riyals) 2009 2008
Balance at January 1 535,887 323,794
Charge for the year 334,513 375,513
Amounts paid during the year (88,695) (163,420)
Balance at December 31 781,705 535,887
Final zakat assessments have been obtained for the years since inception through 2003. The final
zakat assessments for 2004, 2005 and 2006 have not yet been finalized pending decisions on the
Company's objections to certain items, totaling about SR 138.4 million. Zakat declarations for
2007 and 2008 have been submitted, but final zakat assessments on them have not been issued yet.
The Company has received a zakat certificate with validity up to 16/5/1431H (30/4/2010).
(c) Subsidiaries and joint ventures
Effective this year will commence the application of the Ministerial Decree No.1005 dated
28/4/1428 H mandating the submission of one zakat declaration for the Company and its directly
or indirectly fully-owned subsidiaries, whether within or outside the Kingdom.
24 TAX PROVISION
The amount shown in the income statement represents the Group’s share of taxes chargeable on
subsidiaries and joint ventures in accordance with tax laws applicable in their countries. The balance
of the provision on December 31, 2009 amounted to SR 307.9 million (December 31, 2008: SR 280.1
million).
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 21
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Fair value
It is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable,
willing parties in an arm’s length transaction. Management does not believe that the fair values of the
Group financial assets and liabilities differ materially from their carrying values.
Commission rate risk
This comprises various risks related to the effect of changes in commission rates on the Group’s
financial position and cash flows. The Group manages its cash flows by controlling the timing
between cash inflows and outflows. Surplus cash is invested to increase the Company’s commission
income through holding balances in short-term and long-term bank deposits, but the related
commission rate risk is not considered to be significant.
Currency risk
It is the risk that the value of a financial instrument will fluctuate due to changes in foreign exchange
rates. Management monitors fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and records its effects in
the consolidated financial statements.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 22
Saudi Telecom Company
(a Saudi Joint Stock Company)
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2009
Credit risk
It is the risk that other parties will fail to discharge their obligations and cause the Group to incur a
financial loss. Financial instruments that subject the Group to concentrations of credit risk consist
primarily of cash balances and accounts receivable. The Group deposits its cash balances with a
number of major high credit-rated financial institutions and has a policy of limiting its balances
deposited with each institution. The Group does not believe that there is a significant risk of non-
performance by these financial institutions. The Group does not consider itself exposed to a
concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable due to its diverse customer base
(residential, professional, large business and public entities) operating in various industries and
located in many regions.
Liquidity risk
It is the risk that the Group will encounter difficulty in raising funds to meet commitments associated
with financial instruments. Liquidity is managed by periodically ensuring its availability in amounts
sufficient to meet any future commitments. The Group does not consider itself exposed to significant
risks in relation to liquidity.
28 SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Group has identified its operating segments by the type of service.
The main operating segments of the Group comprise:
• GSM, for which the main services are: mobile, third generation services, prepaid cards,
international roaming and messages.
• PSTN, for which the main services are: fixed line, card telephones, interconnect and
international calls.
• DATA, for which the main services are: leased data transmission circuits, DSL and internet.
• Un-allocated, containing items which could not be linked with the main operating segments of
the Group.
The following table shows the segmental information for the year:
The segmental information for the year ended December 31, 2008 was as follows:
Depreciation and
amortization 2,850,537 3,249,148 287,825 20,004 6,407,514
Net income 11,530,436 377,405 1,041,546 (1,911,541) 11,037,846
For comparative purposes, 2008 interconnection revenues and expenses have been re-calculated to
conform with the methodology used for preparing 2009 segmental information.
29 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Board of Directors, in its meeting held on Tuesday 4 Safar 1431 H (January 19, 2010), proposed
interim dividends for the fourth quarter 2009 amounting to SR 1,500 million, at the rate of SR 0.75 per
share, resulting in a total dividend for 2009 of SR 3.00 per share (2008: SR 3.75 per share).
30 RECLASSIFICATION
Certain comparatives of the year ended December 31, 2008 have been reclassified to conform to the
classifications used for the year ended December 31, 2009.
These statements were originally prepared in Arabic and the Arabic version should prevail. 24