Brussels, 26 October 2005 - As at 30 September 2005, Mobistar had 2,886,739 active customers, 5.2% more than the previous year. The ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) reached € 37.31 a month per active customer. Service revenues at the end of the third quarter of 2005 (9 months) increased by 10% compared with that at the end of the third quarter of the preceding financial year, reaching € 1,041.1 million.
In spite of a maturing and increasingly competitive market, Mobistar has recorded an increase of over 5% in its customer base, with a total of 2,886,739 active customers as at 30 September 2005, against 2,743,267 customers the year before. In the course of the third quarter of 2005, the customer base showed a net increase of 19,217 customers, representing growth almost equal to cumulative growth over the first two quarters of the year.
As a result of, among other things, the noticeable increase in the number of postpaid customers, who now represent over 40% of Mobistar's customer base (compared to 33.9% a year ago), the monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) has reached € 37.31 a month, which is 2.2% more than the ARPU as at 30 September 2004.
These various factors have enabled Mobistar to record a growth in the service revenues of 10%, which reached € 1,041.1 million at the end of the third quarter, against € 946.2 million the previous year. Consolidated turnover as at 30 September 2005, which includes the sale of mobile phones, reached € 1,070.9 million against € 988 million as at 30 September 2004, representing an increase of 8.4%. All indicators enable us to confirm that Mobistar will be in a position to achieve its end-of-year targets.