(May 14) (Bloomberg) -- Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Southeast Asia's largest telephone company, said fourth-quarter profit climbed 11 percent, boosted by earnings from India and a stronger Australian dollar.

Net income rose to S$1.09 billion ($794 million), or 6.83 Singapore cents a share, in the three months ended March 31, from S$989.4 million, or 6.2 cents, a year earlier, the company, known as SingTel, said today. That beat the S$940.5 million median of 13 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales rose 11 percent to S$3.76 billion.

The profit wraps up the first year at the helm for Chief Executive Officer Chua Sock Koong, who seeks to expand SingTel's growth strategy by investing in emerging markets such as Vietnam. Chua faces the challenge of boosting earnings amid price cuts in Indonesia, currency fluctuations and competition from companies such as China Mobile Communications Corp. for regional assets.

``The track record of SingTel in investing overseas is immaculate,'' Bruno Lippens, who helps manage $6 billion in telecommunication stocks, including SingTel, at Pictet & Cie in Geneva. ``You've got to give them credit and have confidence that they're going to keep on doing that in the future.'' Lippens spoke before earnings were released.

SingTel shares advanced 1.1 percent to S$3.75 yesterday. The stock has risen 14 percent since Chua was appointed April 1 last year, outperforming the 1.3 percent gain in Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index.

``All our businesses are performing well, giving us a diversified revenue base,'' Chua said in a statement.

Regional Growth

Fourth-quarter pretax income at the company's six regional units, including PT Telekomunikasi Selular and Bharti Airtel Ltd., respectively the biggest wireless operators in Indonesia and India, rose 18 percent to S$630 million.

The Indian operator on April 25 said fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 37 percent to 18.5 billion rupees ($440 million), beating analysts' estimates, after winning more customers in India than rivals.

Earnings from the regional mobile operations will rise at a ``slower pace'' this year, hurt by increased competition in Indonesia and losses from SingTel's Pakistan unit, according to the statement.

(Editor: Jia Fu)