UPC Ireland total subscriber levels approaching 1m, also nearing 300k broadband users

5 Nov 2012

Some 300,000 out of UPC Ireland’s total 969,200 subscribers are now signed up for broadband, the company revealed. The company said its seven-year €500m investment in fibre is paying technological dividends with services of up to 150Mbps available to consumers.

During the third quarter, UPC proved its cable broadband infrastructure was capable of reaching speeds as high as 1.4Gbps over a standard home cable.

Overall subscriber levels grew by 110,000 or 13pc to 969,200 year-on-year.

Broadband subscriber levels of 294,300 customers are up 22pc.

The company’s phone business grew 55pc year-on-year to 223,400 paying customers.

Some 384,000 premises are signed up to the company’s digital TV service.

During the quarter, entry-level speeds for the company’s fibre broadband services increased to 50Mbps, mid-tier moved to 100Mbps and top tier now stands at 150Mbps.

Horizon TV launch in Ireland in ‘coming quarters’

UPC Ireland’s parent company Liberty Global reported revenues of US$2.52bn, up 6pc year-on-year with operating profits of US$509m and free cash flow of US$440m.

Liberty Global said it launched its new Horizon TV home entertainment hub in the Netherlands during the quarter and said its imminent launch “in coming quarters” in Ireland and Germany will help differentiate its product offerings in these markets.

Two-way homes passed by the cable operator in Ireland stands at 733,400.

“We will continue to exploit our competitive advantages in leading next-generation broadband in Ireland and already have doubled our standard level broadband speed to 50Mb with a top tier of 150Mb on offer,” UPC Ireland’s chief financial officer Carol Grennan explained.

“Our strong and sustained performance allows us to continue to invest in giving our customers more value and in further differentiating our range of market-leading products,” she added.

Digital media image via Shutterstock

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com