Brussels, 20 April 2006 - In the first quarter of 2006, Mobistar saw its service revenues grow by 7%, thanks to renewal of its product range and an improved ARPU.
As at 31 March 2006, Mobistar had 2,956,465 active mobile telephony customers, which is an increase of 4% on the 2,849,210 customers recorded a year ago. Mobistar was able to produce accelerated growth of its customer base in this first quarter thanks to new offers such as Tempo Music and Best Deal.
ARPU1, which increased by 5% year-on-year, stood at EUR 38.60 per month per active customer at 31 March 2006. This favourable evolution is linked in with growth of the subscriber base, which has now exceeded 45% of the customer base.
Total service revenues reached EUR 354.3 million at 31 March 2006, an increase of 7% compared to EUR 331.3 million recorded at 31 March 2005. The total turnover, which includes mobile handset sales, increased by 8% to EUR 364.1 million at 31 March 2006.
On 31 March 2006, Mobistar numbered 6,325 ADSL customers, an increase of more than 50% compared to 31 December 2005. More than 50% of the customers chose for the innovative offer ADSL Connect, offering ADSL without a fixed-line subscription fee. Mobistar confirms its ambitions for the ADSL market by the launch of new offers. The group expects to grow the number of its customers, thanks to an offer combining mobile telephony and ADSL.
All these elements allow Mobistar to confirm his forecasted growth of revenues and net earnings over the year 2006.
| Mobistar group key figures | Q1 2005 | Q1 2006 | Var. |
| Total active customers (mobile telephony) | 2.849.210 | 2.956.465 | +4% |
| Total turnover (mio € ) | 338,0 | 364,1 | +8% |
| Total service revenues (mio € ) | 331,3 | 354,3 | +7% |
| ARPU (euros/month/active customer) | 36,60 | 38,60 | +5% |
ARPU = Average Revenue Per User (smoothed average of the previous 12 months)