Mobile operator Vodafone said today that the BlackBerry Storm was its No 1 selling device at Christmas. The company also revealed that its mobile broadband connections now stand at 102,000 users.
Vodafone Ireland parent Vodafone Group said it expects revenues for the year ending in March to be between £40.6bn and £41.5bn sterling, ahead of its previous estimate of £38.8bn to £39.7bn sterling.
The group estimates it will bring in annual operating profits of between £11.5bn to £12bn sterling, an increase of £500m sterling.
In the Irish market the company remained No 1 with a customer base of 2.23 million, despite intensifying competition and a challenging economic climate.
The company said its fixed-line and DSL business accounted for 80,149 at the end of the quarter, bringing its total base to 2.3 million customers.
For the first time the amount of text messages sent on Vodafone’s Irish network exceeded one billion to reach an all-time high in the quarter of 1.06 billion, a 20.6pc increase on the same quarter last year.
Total voice minutes in the last quarter increased by 6.9pc to 1.65 billion, compared to the same quarter in 2007. Vodafone reported a decrease in blended ARPU of 7.5pc from €43.90 to €40.
Vodafone’s Irish customers exceeded the European average in terms of voice consumption, with customers using on average 253 million voice minutes and sending 160 messages during the quarter.
“Despite intense competition, Vodafone has continued to deliver good value products and services to our personal and business customers,” explained the company’s director of strategy, Gerry Fahy.
“Vodafone will continue to drive innovation in the mobile and fixed-line businesses as we implement our strategy of total telecommunications. Vodafone is undergoing a period of change as we reposition the business to meet the challenges and opportunities of the new market conditions and ensure that we remain Ireland’s No 1 choice of telecoms provider,” Fahy added.
Vodafone also announced a new director of business and enterprise Anne O’Leary, who will be responsible for Vodafone’s business customers and business channels.
By John Kennedy
Pictured: it was a happy Christmas for Vodafone with the BlackBerry Storm as its No 1 selling device
