Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) reported a 21 per cent rise in first-quarter underlying net profit on Thursday (Aug 13), driven by strong contributions from its Australian unit Optus and regional associates, including India's Bharti Airtel.

Singtel, Southeast Asia's largest telecom operator, said underlying net profit was $831 million for the three-month period ended June 30, compared with $686 million a year earlier.

That beat the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of $746.1 million.

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