O2’s Irish profits soar by 17%

MOBILE phone operator 02 made operating profits in Ireland of €129 million in the first half of its financial year, 17% higher than in 2004.

The company, part of the British O2 group being taken over by Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, said a rise in customer numbers and increased usage were behind the rise in profits.

O2 added 145,000 new customers over the six months, bringing its subscriber base to 1.57 million.