Eircom Group announced results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2015. Revenues of 311 million euros and 940 million euros respectively, have reduced by 1% and 3%, on the corresponding prior year periods.
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Operating costs excluding non-cash items for the quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2015, were €191 million and €594 million respectively, a reduction of €12 million or 6% and €30 million or 5% on the corresponding prior year periods.
EBITDA for the quarter ended 31 March 2015 was €120 million, an increase of 8%, and €346 million for the nine months ended 31 March 2015 reduced by 1%.
In the fixed line segment, revenues (before intra company eliminations) for the quarter ended and nine months ended 31 March 2015, were €235 million and €710 million, a decrease of 3% and 4% respectively, compared to the corresponding prior year periods. The fixed line revenue decline was partially offset by operating cost savings.
Fixed line EBITDA for the quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2015 of €101 million and €310 million decreased by €1 million or 2% in the quarter compared to the prior year period and decreased by 5% in the nine months ended 31 March 2015 compared to the prior year period.
Fixed line access net losses for the quarter ended and nine months ended 31 March 2015 were 22,000 and 44,000 respectively. Retail losses were 21,000 and 51,000 for the quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2015.
The total Group broadband customer base[6]was 766,000 at 31 March 2015, growing by 18,000 in the quarter and 49,000 in the nine months to the end of March. The Retail broadband base was 456,000 at the end of March 2015, declining by 4,000 in the quarter and remaining broadly flat since 31 June 2014 as a result of price changes announced during the quarter.
Broadband lines in our Wholesale business have grown by 22,000 during the quarter and 58,000 compared to 31 March 2014, to a total of 310,000 lines at 31 March 2015. At 31 March 2015, there were 242,000 customers using our fibre based high speed broadband services, representing over 21% penetration of premises passed.
In the mobile segment, Mobile EBITDA for the quarter and nine months ended 31 March 2015 has grown to €19 million and €36 million respectively, an increase of 116% and 59% respectively.
Mobile revenue was €87 million for the quarter, 5% higher compared to the same prior year period and EBITDA margin was 22%, the highest it has been in four and half years. Revenue for the nine months ended 31 March 2015 of €265 million was €2 million higher compared to the nine months ended 31 March 2014.
In terms of Mobile KPI’s, the Group added 13,000 customers in the last twelve months and 30,000 since June 2014 to the mobile base, which stood at 1,085,000 customers. There were 42,000 net additions in the higher value postpaid segment during the nine months ended 31 March 2015 (inclusive of postpaid mobile broadband), and postpaid customers accounted for 43% of the overall base, up from 39% at the end of March 2014.
The prepaid customer base decreased by 12,000 to 601,000 in the quarter, following the seasonal increase in the prepaid base in the second quarter. ■