UPC racks up over 80,000 broadband users

27-02-2008

by Deirdre McArdle

UPC Ireland, parent company of Chorus and NTL, has seen its broadband subscriptions jump 45.6 percent in the past year.

Broadband subscribers at UPC Ireland numbered 80,500 at the end of 2007, up from 55,300 at the end of 2006. During 2007 broadband growth has been fairly consistent at UPC: between the third and fourth quarter subscribers grew 9 percent, while there was a 10 percent jump between the second and third quarters.

The company's telephony service also performed well during the year, with growth of 2,500 percent. Subscribers to the service increased from just 400 at the end of 2006 to 10,400 in 2007.

In all, the group grew its subscribers by 3.8 percent over the year to 675,900, with broadband and telephony being the star players. The firm launched its Sky+ rival at the end of January, UPC DVR, and though adoption figures for the DVR service are not available, a spokesperson told ENN it has been "very well received so far".

During 2007 UPC also stepped up its triple play campaign. At the end of 2007 231,000 homes had been enabled for triple play (TV, broadband and telephony) services, up from 153,300 at the end of 2006.

"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," said Robert Dunn, CEO of UPC Ireland, in a statement. "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."

For the fourth quarter of 2007 UPC Ireland posted revenue of USD82.9 million (EUR55.8 million), up 19.3 percent from USD69.5 million (EUR46.8 million) for the year-ago quarter. For the year, the firm recorded revenues of USD307.2 million (EUR206.8 million), a jump of 17 percent over 2006's USD262.6 million (EUR176.8 million). Meanwhile, UPC's parent company Liberty Global posted revenue of USD9 billion for the year, up from USD6.5 billion in 2006.