3 Ireland adds 60,000 customers

MOBILE communications network provider, 3 Ireland has increased its customer base here by over 60,000 people since the end of last year and is likely to break even, on a financial footing, by the end of this year.

Part of the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa group, 3 Ireland’s customer base increased from 339,000 as of the end of December last to 400,000 by the end of June, according to detailed half-year figures issued yesterday. 3’s Irish information is amalgamated with its British operations.

The increase in Irish-based customers contributed to an overall 4% year-on-year rise in 3’s combined customer base for the UK and Ireland to 5.6 million users.

The UK and Ireland side of the business also managed to grow revenue on a year-on-year basis over the course of the first half of this year by 2% to £784 million (€910.2m). As much as 89% of this revenue was generated from post pay/bill-pay mobile phone customers.

3 Ireland is currently the leading player in the mobile broadband market here. The company’s largest customer base is in Italy, where it has 8.93m registered customers.

On a group wide basis, Hutchison actually saw a 20% year-on-year decline in first half revenues to HK$141.03 billion (€12.72bn). EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) was down by 40% to HK$18.03bn and group earnings per share came in at HK$1.35; 33% less than the figure for the same period last year.

The 3 Group, overall, suffered an 18% year-on-year fall; with EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) falling from HK$2.76bn at the halfway point last year to HK$180m at the end of June.

Hutchison group chairman, Li Ka-shing said that group focus will remain on maintaining “strict operational and financial discipline.”

“Although the economic environment will have differing adverse effects on the group’s various businesses around the world, looking ahead its established businesses are expected to continue to be profitable and to perform satisfactorily and the 3 Group is expected to continue to progress. The group’s second-half performance should be better than the first half and I have full confidence in the long-term prospects of the group,” he added.