(Telecompaper) Asian mobile operator Axiata reported second-quarter revenue down 0.5 percent year-on-year to MYR 4.707 billion, while EBITDA declined 1.6 percent to MYR 1.715 billion. Net profit increased 34.2 percent to MYR 611 million and was down 2.7 percent to MYR 617 million after adjusting for one-time items. Axiata said it had a challenging first half to the year as expected, with revenue declines in its largest markets Malaysia and Indonesia not offset by growth in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Adjusted for currency effects, revenue fell 3.5 percent year-on-year in Q2 and EBITDA was down 4.6 percent, hurt by the weaker ringgit. The company said it did some small signs of improvement, with Celcom in Malaysia returning to net subscriber growth and quarterly growth in sales and EBITDA in Indonesia. Capital expenditure jumped 61.5 percent year-on-year to MYR 1.194 billion in Q2, or 25.4 percent or revenue, led by mobile data expansion in Bangladesh and Cambodia, while operating cash flow fell 66.8 percent to MYR 244 million. Net debt was stable at 1.25 times EBITDA, and Axiata had MYR 5.447 billion in cash at the end of the period. Axiata said it will remain challenging to reach its full-year targets of 4 percent growth in revenue and EBITDA, amid currency risks in Malaysia and Indonesia and increased competition in Malaysia and Bangladesh. It maintained its target for annual capex of MYR 4.8 billion.