SWITZERLAND: UPC’s revenues in Switzerland and Austria decreased by 1.9 percent in the second quarter to CHF 334 million. The rebased revenue decrease in US dollars of 1.5 percent year-on-year to USD 435.1 million was mainly driven by the net effect of lower ARPU per RGU, primarily related to a weaker tier mix and competitive pressures and a higher contribution from B2B. At the same time, mobile revenue growth was limited, as the contribution from mobile subscriber growth was offset by lower handset sales. UPC Austria reported a 2.3 percent year-on-year growth in revenues to EUR 87.4 million in Q2. UPC was able to increase the number of subscriptions for fixed network and mobile services by 13,000 in the second quarter. As part of the Autostrada investment programme, the provider connected another 12,000 homes in Switzerland and Austria to its fibre-optics cable network in Q2. In addition, the company secured the rights to Sky broadcasts of the football Bundesliga and pursued a further growth initiative in Lausanne.
Based on the report for Q2 published by Liberty Global, the organic RGU net additions in Switzerland and Austria were reported at 10,600. Switzerland and Austria posted 15,000 post-paid SIM additions. As regards subscriptions in Switzerland, the number of broadband internet subscriptions increased by 8,100 during the second quarter to 752,600; the number of fixed telephony subscriptions increased by 6,400 to 524,300; the number of mobile subscriptions increased by 7,200 to 92,500; basic TV lost 8,100 subscriptions and reported 560,900, and Premium TV subscriptions decreased by 300 to 671,900. The changes in the subscription figures also include inorganic growth such as definition changes or the effects of acquisitions and sales. MySports will be on air from 08 September onwards. In Q2, the provider secured the exclusive Sky broadcast rights via cable and IPTV of the football Bundesliga for the next four years after having already secured exclusive Swiss Ice Hockey rights for the next five seasons.
In the mobile segment, UPC launched attractive new offers in June for its private and business customers, which allow customers to use the internet, make calls and send texts in the EU on the same terms as in Switzerland. By using third party networks, UPC expects to make its offerings available to up to 200,000 more homes outside its own network by the end of 2018. The company is taking the first step in Lausanne in mid-August by making its services available to 90,000 homes. In Austria, the number of broadband internet subscriptions increased by 2,600 during the second quarter to 508,500; the number of fixed telephony subscriptions increased by 7,000 to 441,700; the number of mobile subscriptions increased by 8,200 to 47,200; basic TV lost 10,000 subscriptions and reported 99,600 and Premium TV subscriptions increased by 4,900 to 372,500.
