The telco posted quarterly earnings that were in line with expectations, including 10pc year-on-year revenue growth.
Irish telco Eir has posted earnings for the three months ending 30 June, which the company described as “in line with expectations”.
Eir’s revenue for the quarter came to €331m, up 10pc year-on-year, and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) came to €181m, an increase of 13pc. During the same period, its operating costs increased 3pc from the previous year to €93m.
The company also reported 819,000 fibre broadband customers (up 7pc) as well as 850,000 bill-pay mobile phone users (up 10pc) and 83,000 TV subscribers (up 6pc).
Eir also says that its 5G network now reaches 68pc of the Irish population. This is up from just 29pc at the end of June 2020, and from 57pc in April 2021.
Stephen Tighe, the company’s CFO, commented: “Our performance in the fourth quarter was strong and an improvement on recent quarters, with continued growth in our fibre, mobile, TV and bundled customer bases.
“This, coupled with the acquisition of Evros, National Broadband Plan access revenue, as well as the proceeds from the sale of mobile masts, all combining to drive solid growth in both revenue and EBITDA in the quarter.”
Tighe continued: “We expect continued strong growth in our performance into the future, with continued EBITDA growth, business streamlining and optimisation, further cash generation, and capital expenditure on our networks to drive future growth.”
Carolan Lennon, Eir’s CEO, added: “2021 has continued to emphasise the critical importance of our fixed and mobile infrastructure for our customers and the economy.
“Through our €1 bn capital investment programme, the most significant investment by any telecommunications provider in Ireland, Eir has withstood the storm of the pandemic ensuring our customers had the connectivity they need every single day, made possible by our team of more than 1,000 dedicated engineers.”
The roll-out of fibre broadband is a central part of Eir’s current and future strategy. The company’s network now reaches 1.9m premises, or 84pc of the country, on the foot of an expansion programme announced in August.
Eir is majority owned by French telco Iliad. Last month, Iliad’s 71pc owner and founder Xavier Niel launched a bid to take the company private.
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Eir’s 5G network now reaches two thirds of the Irish population
