ZURICH: UPC Switzerland grown its revenue to CHF344 million in the fourth quarter due to rising subscriber numbers and network upgrade projects. In the results for Q4 2016, UPC Switzerland/Austria reported a 1.8 percent increase in revenue compared to Q4 2015.
In large part, growth was a result of increased subscriber numbers. Compared to Q3 2016, UPC added 38,000 revenue-generating units in the Swiss market. The fixed base rose by 28,400 to 2.513 million at the end of 2016, and mobile customers increased by 10,000 to a total of 80,000.
In the broadband internet segment, UPC gained 5,000 subscribers over the quarter, to a total of 750,000. In a statement, UPC pointed to the success its network upgrades as part of its investment program. In the Autostrada business segment, over 50,000 homes in Switzerland and Austria have been connected to the fibre network offering download speeds of 500 Mbps.
The telephony segment overall increased its subscribers by 26,000 quarter-on-quarter. Of these, 16,000 were added to the fixed network, bringing total numbers to 512,000, while 10,000 were added to the mobile network for a total of 80,000.
The TV segment showed strong growth in the premium sector, adding 15,000 subscribers in Q4 for a total of 675,000. By comparison, the basic TV sector fell by 8,000, with overall numbers at 577,000 at year-end
UPC also pointed to the growing market penetration of its Connect Box Wi-Fi router. Over the course of 2016, 280,000 customers upgraded to the Connect Box system, UPC confirmed.
