On August 19, China Unicom officially released its 2021 interim performance report in HKEX. According to the released data, in the first half of this year, China Unicom achieved operation revenue of RMB 164.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. Its service revenue reached RMB 148.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%, and the growth rate was 3.2% higher than that of the full year of 2020. The pre-tax profit in the first half of 2021 exceeded RMB 10 billion for the first time in recent years, reaching RMB 11.3 billion.
According to the report, China Unicom has deeply practiced the concept of green and low-carbon development, and achieved outstanding results in network co-construction and sharing. The capital expenditure in the first half of 2021 is RMB 14.3 billion, which has greatly improved the efficiency of investment and operation while ensuring the competitiveness of the network, and has achieved remarkable results in energy conservation and carbon reduction. The company's free cash flow continued to remain abundant, reaching RMB 36.4 billion, and its financial strength was further consolidated.
Moreover, the report stated that, based on full consideration of the company's stable business development and strong free cash flow, the board of directors of China Unicom decided to start the distribution of interim dividends in 2021, which is RMB 0.120 per share. Meanwhile, the company also plans to increase the dividend payout ratio for the full year of 2021, and the specific rate will be determined in the first half of 2022 based on a comprehensive consideration of the company's profit, cash flow, future funding needs and inter-bank dividend levels.