Tele2 AB : Interim report January - September 2012
Stockholm - Tele2 AB, (Tele2), (NASDAQ OMX Stockholm: TEL2 A and TEL2 B) today announced its consolidated results for the third quarter 2012.
CEO comment:
"Tele2 has continued to show robust performance in Q3 2012 in customer intake, revenue and EBITDA. Mobile now accounts for almost 80 percent of total revenue; all indicators demonstrate that by choosing to focus on mobile services we have moved in the right strategic direction. Indeed, we can see even more pronounced shifts from voice to data demand, as well as "acceleration of everything": Mobile data volumes, for example, is growing 3 times faster than fixed broadband data.
Growth assets and positive underlying mobile trends underpin our potential for sustainable earnings growth in the longer term. Increased scale and cost efficiency remain key to our profitability and owning the customer relationship is central to securing our position in the value chain."
Financial highlights
Net sales amounted to SEK 10,906 (10,429) million corresponding to a growth excluding exchange rate difference of 9 percent in the quarter. EBITDA in Q3 2012 amounted to SEK 3,002 (2,986) million, equivalent to an EBITDA margin of 28 (29) percent.
Strong customer intake in market area Russia
In Q3 2012, Tele2 Russia added 710,000 (681,000) customers, resulting in a total customer base of 22.3 (20.4) million. EBITDA amounted to SEK 1,239 (1,214) million, equivalent to an EBITDA margin of 38 (40) percent.
Sustained mobile revenue growth in market area Nordic
Mobile revenue in Sweden grew by 4 percent, as customer demand for smartphones and data services increased further during the quarter. The mobile EBITDA contribution in the quarter reached a record high of SEK 828 (799) million due to increased usage and improved cost efficiency. Tele2 Norway performed well during the quarter, as its network capabilities improved, leading to robust EBITDA margin development despite lowered interconnect rate from the 1st of July.
Significant operational progress in market area Central Europe & Eurasia
During the quarter, Tele2 Kazakhstan continued to expand its market share and added 589,000 (459,000) new customers in the quarter. The total customer base amounted to 3.1 (1.1) million. The Baltic countries drove further cost cutting in the quarter, to maintain a firm EBITDA margin development despite tough competitive pressure.
Robust margin development in market area Western Europe
Tele2 Netherlands maintained stable EBITDA margin compared to same period last year, in spite of a strong marketing push within the mobile segment. Both Tele2 Austria and Tele2 Germany continued their steady operational development thanks to a combination of innovative product offers and tight cost control.
The Interim report is available on reports.tele2.com/2012/Q3
Telephone conference
Tele2 will host a conference call, with an interactive presentation, for the global financial community at 10.00 am CET (09.00 am UK time/04.00 am NY time) on Thursday, October 18, 2012. The conference call will be held in English and also made available as an audiocast on Tele2's dedicated Q3 2012 website, reports.tele2.com/2012/Q3.
Dial-in information:
To ensure that you are connected to the conference call, please dial in a few minutes before the start of the conference call to register your attendance.
Dial-in numbers:
Sweden: +46 8 505 598 53
UK: +44 203 043 24 36
US: +1 866 458 40 87
Contacts
Mats Granryd
President & CEO
Telephone: + 46 (0)8 5620 0060
Lars Nilsson
CFO
Telephone: +46 (0)8 5620 0060
Lars Torstensson
Director, Group Corporate Communication
Telephone: + 46 (0)8 5620 0042
Tele2 is one of Europe 's leading telecom OPERATORS, always providing the best deal. We have 38 million customers in 11 countries. Tele2 offers mobile services, fixed broadband and telephony, data network services, cable TV and content services. Ever since Jan Stenbeck founded the company in 1993, it has been a tough challenger to the former government monopolies and other established providers. Tele2 has been listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm since 1996. In 2011, we had net sales of SEK 41 billion and reported an operating profit (EBITDA) of SEK 11.2 billion.