Israeli fixed line and broadband operator Internet Gold has released its financial results for three months ended 30 June 2009, revealing a 10% year-on-year increase in revenue. The company posted revenues of ILS309 million (USD76.1 million) in its second fiscal quarter, compared to ILS281 million a year earlier, while it also reported a 16% rise in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to ILS71 million. Internet Gold also revealed that it had turned around a net loss of ILS8 million in 2Q 2008 to a net profit of ILS23 million in 2Q 2009. Commenting on the results, Eli Holtzman, Internet Gold’s CEO, said: ‘The primary driver of our results remains our communications segment which has achieved superb operating results in all parameters as a leader in the Israeli communications market. 012 Smile.Communications continued to build its core business and expand its base of voice-over-broadband (VoB) domestic telephony subscribers.’
012 Smile .Communications, Internet Gold’s main communications subsidiary, reported a quarterly revenue of ILS291 million, noting that revenue from broadband services had increased 14% compared to the same period a year earlier to ILD150 million; revenue from fixed line voice services was ILS141 million, up from ILS132 million. While the operator noted that it had 120,000 local telephony lines in service at end-June 2009, it did not reveal how many active broadband subscribers it had. However, Stella Handler, 012 Smile.Communications CEO, did note: ‘Strategically, we have achieved the customer acquisition targets that we set for ourselves last year, and continue to seek out the best path for entering Israel’s mobile market.’