UPC customers increase by 50,000

COMMUNICATIONS provider UPC Ireland saw its total customer numbers grow by nearly 50,000 people last year.

The company, which owns the multi-disciplined communications brand Chorus NTL, saw subscriber numbers, or Total RGUs (revenue generating units) as it terms them, go from 667,000 as of the end of 2008 to 713,300 at the end of last year. The figure takes in digital television customers, analogue television customers, broadband Internet subscribers and those signed up to the company’s telephone service.

The company’s level of Internet subscribers grew by 45% last year and telephone subscriptions grew year-on-year by 116% to over 60,000.

“So far over €400m has been invested in our Irish operation to allow more homes and businesses receive higher speed broadband, high definition television and a phone service from one provider. This investment has enabled UPC to bundle these services and pass on savings of over 30% to customers on their bills,” said UPC Ireland’s chief executive Robert Dunn.

The company’s core digital television service grew its subscriber base by over 10% to just under 350,000.

“The digital gains were offset by the anticipated decline in analogue TV reflecting upgrades to digital, competition and broader economic effects,” Mr Dunn added.

On a broader operational level, 2009 was the first year when UPC Ireland’s financial performance wasn’t broken out from overall parent group, Liberty Global’s figures.

The Irish operation’s figures now form part of Western Europe, as a whole.