TeliaSonera 3Q profit down as restructuring costs rise

TeliaSonera has reported a 7.8% decline in net income in the three months ended 30 September 2005 to SEK4.37 billion, because of a rise in costs associated with restructuring its business. In February the company announced a plan to reduce expenses by as much as SEK6 billion within three years, although it acknowledged at the time that this would impact operating income in 2005. Of the cost-cutting measures, up to SEK5 billion is expected to be saved in Sweden, with the rest coming from Finland. Sales rose 8.5% to SKR22.23 billion, of which SEK9.57 billion (SEK10.06 billion in the same period of 2004) was generated from operations in Sweden and SEK4.05 billion (SEK4.52 billion) from Finland. The company’s International Mobile division performed well, reporting a 57% increase in sales to SEK1.82 billion with the number of customers increasing by two million year-on-year to total 5.5 million at the end of September.