UPDATE: Spark first-half profit falls 3.4% as cost of Quantum transformation offsets revenue gain

UPDATE: Spark first-half profit falls 3.4% as cost of Quantum transformation offsets revenue gain
Paul McBeth
(Adds detail throughout, updates share price) By Paul McBeth Feb. 21 (BusinessDesk) - Spark New Zealand's first-half profit fell 3.4 percent as the country's biggest telecommunications company ramped up spending on a new transformation programme aimed at making it the nation's lowest cost operator. Net profit declined to $172 million, or 9.4 cents per share, in the six months ended Dec. 31, from $178 million, or 9.7 cents, a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. The telco's favoured measure, earnings before inte...