Vodafone Qatar Q4 net loss widens

DUBAI, May 17 (Reuters) - Vodafone Qatar, an affiliate of Vodafone Group (NasdaqGS: VOD - news) , posted a widening fourth-quarter loss on Tuesday.

The operator made a net loss of 180 million riyals ($49.5 million) in the three months to March 31, according to a bourse statement.

That compares with a loss of 66 million riyals in the prior-year period. Vodafone Qatar's financial year starts on April 1.

Vodafone Qatar has yet to make a quarterly net profit since ending state-controlled Ooredoo's domestic monopoly in 2009. Vodafone has now reported widening losses for six straight quarters as rival Ooredoo cut prices and fought hard to expand its revenue share.

Vodafone Qatar's net loss for the 2015-16 financial year was 465.7 million riyals, it said in a statement. This compares with a loss of 215.8 million riyals in the previous year.

($1 = 3.6398 Qatar riyals) (Reporting By Tom Arnold; editing by Matt Smith)