By Frances Robinson
BRUSSELS -- Belgacom SA (BELG.BT) said third-quarter revenue
from 4G mobile data grew as more customers started to use the
service, and raised its guidance for full-year EBITDA.
Third-quarter net profit remained unchanged from a year
earlier.
"Revenue from mobile services in particular showed a strong
improvement thanks to the growing customer base and increased
mobile data usage" which helped mobile average-revenue-per-user
figures, said chief executive Dominique Leroy. She also cited
"solid" TV revenue, which showed "double-digit growth in the third
quarter."
In the third quarter, EBITDA rose 1.5% from the previous year to
EUR431 million ($545.1 million), while net profit was unchanged at
EUR156 Million. Sales were EUR1.49 billion, down 1.0% from the
previous year, due to 6.1% revenue decline in Belgacom's
International Carrier Services and the continued revenue erosion
from its wholesale business.
Ms. Leroy, who took over at the start of this year, raised
full-year EBITDA guidance for the group as she did last quarter.
The company now expects the full-year 2014 figure to be "slightly
positive" compared with an earlier forecast of a 1% to 2% decline
from EBITDA of EUR1.7 billion last year.
Write to Frances Robinson at frances.robinson@wsj.com