Deutsche Telecom has reported a 36% surge in first-quarter net profit and flat revenues year-on-year, but is still struggling in its domestic market and the US.
Adjusted net profit hit €891 million in Q110, up from a €655 million in Q109, while revenues fell a marginal 0.6% to €15.2 billion year-on-year. EBITDA was up 1.6% to €4.9 billion.
However, the overall revenue figure masks a 2.2% fall in domestic revenues to €6.2 billion, and a 7.8% decline in revenues from T-Mobile USA to €3.8 billion.
The losses were offset by growth in the firm’s other European businesses, with combined ebitda from the UK, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland and Austria up 43.2% year-on-year to €660 million in Q110.
Mobile subscriber numbers in those markets were stable with Q109, at around 44 million, however subscriptions in Germany fell 1.1% to 38.5 million.
On the plus-side, the firm grew US mobile customers 1.6% to 33.7 million.
The number of fixed network lines in operation fell 6.6% in Germany and 7.8% in Southern and Eastern Europe.
In France, Vivendi reported a 13.4% increase in net profit for the quarter, due to strong results at domestic mobile unit SFR.
Revenue grew 6% to €6.9 billion and ebitda was up 14.1% to €1.6 billion.
SFR contributed €3.01 billion to group revenues, up 1.9% on Q109, and the unit added 225,000 new postpaid customers, bringing its customer base to 15 million.
Telekom Austria, meanwhile, reported a more modest 6.9% increase in net earnings to €91.2 million. But this increase was largely attributed to lower depreciation and amortization costs - revenue fell 5.9% to €1.13 billion.
The company's mobile customer base increased 6% to 19 million, but ARPU fell 12.9% to €22.20 due to lower intake from voice, data and roaming, and interconnection tariffs.
Fixed subs fell by 3,200 lines, but this was less than half of the 8,000 lines lost during the first half of 2009. Broadband subscribers grew by 13.8% to 1.1 million.