Swedish-based telecoms group Tele2 has posted an 18% year-on-year rise in quarterly total revenues to SEK8.217 billion (USD929 million) in October-December 2016, after its figures were boosted by the acquisitions of Altel in Kazakhstan on 29 February 2016 and TDC Sweden on 31 October 2016. Underlying mobile end-user service revenue saw 14% growth in the three-month period, driven by strong growth in Sweden, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and the Baltics. Fourth-quarter EBITDA grew by 9% y-o-y to SEK1.459 billion, although Tele2 swung to a 4Q16 net loss of SEK177 million, compared to a net profit of SEK45 million posted in 4Q15, which the company blamed on restructuring and integration costs.
In full-year 2016 Tele2 posted a net loss of SEK2.164 billion – compared to SEK1.268 billion net profit in 2015 – on annual revenues which grew 5% to SEK28.292 billion, whilst full-year EBITDA declined by 7% to SEK5.334 billion. Twelve-month CAPEX declined, from SEK4.227 billion in 2015 to SEK3.831 billion in the year under review. At 31 December 2016 Tele2’s total customer base amounted to 16.666 million, up from 14.414 million a year earlier, including the addition of 200,000 customers at TDC Sweden. Mobile customers reached a total of 15.563 million at end-2016, up from 13.173 million the previous year, with this increase led by Tele2 Kazakhstan – where mobile users jumped from 4.400 million to 6.440 million in the twelve-month period.
At Tele2 Sweden, domestic net sales in Q4 2016 were SEK4.029 billion (up from SEK3.299 billion in 4Q15) and Swedish EBITDA amounted to SEK1.028 billion (4Q15: SEK946 million). Excluding TDC, which was consolidated for November and December 2016, Tele2 Sweden’s net 4Q16 sales and EBITDA were both down slightly year-on-year at SEK3.294 billion and SEK941 million, respectively.