Vodafone NZ annual profit falls 16% as margins squeezed by rising device costs, wage bill

Vodafone NZ annual profit falls 16% as margins squeezed by rising device costs, wage bill
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard Sept. 4 (BusinessDesk) - Vodafone New Zealand reported a 16 percent slide in annual profit as the country's biggest mobile carrier's margins were squeezed by more expensive handsets and content costs, and a bigger wage bill.  Auckland-based Vodafone reported a profit of $39.9 million in the 12 months ended March 31 versus a restated $47.6 million a year earlier, financial statements lodged with the Companies Office show. Revenue edged up 0.2 percent to $2.03 billion in a period when mobile customer numbers rose 3.2 pe...