Bell Aliant’s EBITDA falls 1.9% on 3% sales drop

Canadian regional telco Bell Aliant’s annual revenues reached CAD2.785 billion (USD2.811 billion) in 2010, a drop of 3%, whilst the BCE subsidiary’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also fell by 1.9% to CAD1.458 billion. The operator increased its twelve-month CAPEX by 6.8% to CAD494 million as it expanded its direct fibre ‘FibreOP’ services to pass 138,000 homes and businesses in Atlantic Canada by end-December 2010, up from 33,000 premises at the end of 2009. For the full year, the company reported that both residential and business net local fixed line subscriber base declines were lower in 2010 compared to the previous year: total lines decreased by 140,000 (4.8%) in 2010 compared to a decline of 156,000 (5.1%) in 2009. Aliant achieved a 4.3% increase in the number of high speed internet customers from the end of 2009.