(Telecompaper) SingTel Group's profit fell 8 percent in the third quarter ended 31 December 2012 due to costs associated with transformation initiatives, increased depreciation, and exceptional charges. Net profit stood at SGD 827 million, versus SGD 902 million a year earlier, and underlying net profit, excluding exceptional charges, fell 2 percent to SGD 874 million. Group revenues slipped 5 percent to SGD 4.60 billion from SGD 4.83 billion, but EBITDA was stable at SGD 1.26 billion and EBITDA margin was slightly higher at 27.5 percent. The Group's regional mobile associates, in particular Telkomsel and AIS, recorded robust growth, which were partially offset by lower earnings from Airtel and the weaker regional currencies. In the quarter, the Group and the regional mobile associates continued to register strong customer growth. As at 31 December 2012, the Group had 473 million mobile customers, an increase of 39.2 million or 9 percent from a year ago. SingTel reiterated its outlook for the full year of a decline in group revenues by low single digit level while EBITDA is forecast to remain stable.