Swedish telecoms group Tele2 has posted a 36.3% rise in consolidated net profit to SEK6.48 billion (USD1.00 billion) in full-year 2010, on revenues that climbed to SEK40.16 billion from SEK39.44 billion the previous year. Twelve-month EBITDA reached SEK10.28 billion in 2010, up from SEK9.39 billion in 2009, as operating profit (EBIT) grew by 23.6% to SEK7.09 billion. Overall mobile, broadband and fixed network CAPEX was reduced from SEK4.44 billion in 2009 to SEK3.65 billion the following year. Annual net customer intake at Tele2’s mobile division reached 4.44 million, compared to 3.14 million in the previous twelve months, taking its cellular subscriber total to 27.13 million at end-December 2010. Of the net new mobile additions, 3.99 million (90%) were in Russia.
In the fourth quarter of 2010 there were a number of significant events for the Tele2 group: Tele2 Netherlands completed the acquisition of broadband rival BBned; Tele2 Sweden launched 4G LTE-based mobile broadband services; Tele2 Estonia was awarded a 4G licence; Tele2 Germany exited joint broadband venture Plusnet by paying SEK271 million for early termination of its agreement with QS Communications; and Tele2 Lithuania divested its cable operations for approximately SEK40 million.