UPC hits 160,000 broadband subscribers

7 May 2010

Cable TV and broadband provider UPC has revealed its Irish broadband subscriber base has jumped from 110,000 in the last quarter to 160,000 by the end of Q1 2010.

According to its latest figures, UPC’s cable and MMDS services now pass more than 873,700 homes, out of which 605,100 are two-way. Out of this marketplace, 728,500 homes and premises count as revenue-generating units.

In terms of broadband, UPC services 160,000 subscribers out of a reachable market of 605,100 premises.

Earlier this week, UPC unveiled its 100Mbps broadband service, which will go live later this summer. The company told Siliconrepublic.com that 500,000 out of the 600,000 base of homes will be capable of accessing the Docsis 3.0-based service.

Parent company Liberty Global’s Western Europe division, which UPC Ireland reports to, achieved revenues of US$986.8m, a 41.1pc increase on the previous year.

“We have increased the number of services we provide to our customers by 53,000 over the past 12 months, demonstrating the benefits of our investment programme,” UPC Ireland CEO Robert Dunn explained.

“More customers than ever are taking our triple play bundle of TV, broadband and telephone and enjoying the great value this represents. This growth has continued strongly throughout April and into early May.

“We are increasingly seeing customers choosing faster broadband, reinforcing our decision to launch our 100Mb Fibre Power service later this summer. This exciting step emphatically demonstrates the advantage fibre-powered cable has over traditional copper wires.   

“Today’s results show that our financial performance is accelerating as we move through our investment in broadband and high-definition TV. Our focus under the UPC brand remains the delivery of outstanding service to all our customers – allowing us to gain their trust.

“We continue to see lower levels of customer churn showing customers are seeing the benefits and value of the products and service they receive,” Dunn said.

By John Kennedy

Photo: UPC Ireland CEO Robert Dunn

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

editorial@siliconrepublic.com