TeamTalk boosts first-half profit 27 percent , signals lower dividend to fund rural broadband expansion

TeamTalk boosts first-half profit 27 percent , signals lower dividend to fund rural broadband expansion
By Paul McBeth Feb. 26 (BusinessDesk) - TeamTalk, which bought the rural telecommunications provider Farmside in 2012, lifted first-half profit 27 percent, and plans to trim dividend payments from October to fund expansion into rural internet services. Net profit rose to $2.16 million, or 7.6 cents per share, in the six months ended Dec. 31 from $1.7 million, or 7.2 cents, a year earlier, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. The gains came from its mobile radio and broadband units, while its Farmside rural service continued to...