UPC Ireland reports steady profit growth

UPC IRELAND, which owns multi-faceted communications provider Chorus NTL, has reported steady revenue and profit growth for the third quarter of the year – mainly boosted by a surge in subscriber numbers to its telephony service.

The company – which is ultimately owned by US group, Liberty Global – offers broadband internet, digital television and telephony services here and saw revenue pick up by 1.6% – or by €1 million – to €61.6m for the three months to the end of September. Operating cashflow – a measure of profits – were up, on a year-on-year basis, by 3.4% at €24.5m.

UPC’s total customer base in Ireland covers 697,900 subscribers – 263,500 of whom avail of its digital television product. Some 13,000 broadband customers were added in the third quarter. But it was a 21% quarter-by-quarter/127% year-on-year increase in phone customers to 53,000 that drove the latest set of results.