Broadband subscribers up 45pc at UPC


27 Feb 2008

Digital television and cable broadband provider UPC said this morning that broadband subscribers at the company have grown 45pc year-on-year to reach over 80,000, giving the company under 12pc of the current 700,000 broadband subscribers in Ireland claimed by ComReg.

UPC said its Irish base now has over 675,900 revenue generating units in the country and is capable of serving a total of 856,000 homes.

Digital TV subscribers stood at 226,100, analogue cable subscribers stood at 253,700 and MMDS subscribers numbered 105,200 homes.

In terms of broadband, the company now has 80,500 active subscribers but is capable of serving over 408,200 homes in Dublin, Galway, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Kildare.

“2007 was a year of strong subscriber net growth,” explained UPC Ireland chief executive, Robert Dunn. “We added over 25,000 subscriptions across our product range. In particular, subscriber numbers grew considerably for broadband and telephone products in the year.

“Broadband subscribers grew by 45pc year-on-year to reach over 80,000, while our new telephone service ended the year with over 10,000 subscribers,” Dunn said.

In financial terms, UPC’s revenues for the full year ended 31 December 2007 were up 17pc to US$307.2m from US$262.6m a year earlier. In the fourth and final quarter of the year, UPC’s Irish operations brought in revenues of US$82.9m, up 19.3pc on US$69.5m in 2006.

In terms of operating cash flow, the Irish division saw full-year cash flow of US$104.7m, up 31pc on 2006.

Dunn said 231,000 homes are now enabled for triple-play services that comprise digital television, phone and broadband services, compared with 153,300 a year ago.

“We have changed the dynamics for consumers by offering a full portfolio of telephone, broadband and TV in one package at a considerable saving compared to other operators offering these services.

“Looking forward, we will continue to introduce new products and services across our national footprint and remain focused on continually improving the overall customer service experience,” Dunn added.

UPC’s parent company Liberty Global reported revenues of US$9bn for 2007, reflecting growth of 9pc on 2006.

By John Kennedy