Danish telecom operator TDC reported a 1.6% year-on-year increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the first half of 2011 to DKK5.35 billion (USD1.02 billion) on the back of a 0.4% rise in revenues to DKK13.15 billion. In the first six months of this year, capital expenditure fell to DKK1.614 billion, down by DKK89 million compared with H1 2010, due mainly to alternative timing of infrastructure build-out. Meanwhile profit from continuing operations, excluding special items, was up 34.7% at DKK1.63 billion. The company noted strong growth within its pay-TV and TDC Nordic segments, and also saw an increase in profit from mobile services, but commented that: ‘The intensified price competition in residential mobility services remains a drain on [average revenue per user] ARPU’. The operator reported a 0.8% increase in mobile voice subscriptions (excluding recent acquisition Onfone), primarily driven by growth in the M1 brand, and partly offset by a minor decrease in the TDC brand. The addition of Onfone also contributed positively. Mobile broadband revenue generating units (RGUs) grew by 23% to 289,000, mainly as a result of growth in the TDC brand and Telmore. Onfone again contributed a minor increase in numbers. Concurrently TDC claimed 1.486 million TV RGUs, up 3.6% on H1 2010, while TDC Nordic saw a 20.4% increase in RGUs to 242,000.
TDC said it expected to pay a 2011 dividend of DKK4.35 per share, of which DKK2.18 would be distributed on 10 August 2011.