Tele2 posts strong financial growth, but still won’t break down subscriber figs

Pan-European telecoms operator Tele2 has reported third quarter revenues of SEK12.38 billion (USD 1.6 billion), up 15.6% on the corresponding period twelve months ago, due to a boost in sales at its Swedish mobile business and continued strong performance at its Baltic and Central European divisions. Tele2 increased sales at its Swedish Comviq mobile business after introducing a range of new tariffs and call plans. The boost in mobile revenues helped offset a decline in sales of fixed line phone services in major markets, including the UK and the Netherlands, Tele2 said. The company is also ramping up its broadband business and launched ADSL operations in its eleventh market, Belgium, in August. EBITDA came in at SEK 1.87 billion, above analyst expectations and up 13%. In total, 710,000 customers were added in the quarter, a significant drop on the 1.02 million reported in 3Q04, taking the overall customer base to just shy of 30.3 million, including 750,000 ADSL subscribers. Tele2 does not break out its subscriber numbers by country, only by region.