UPC Ireland's CEO Dana Strong
Cable TV and telecoms provider UPC reported a net gain of 32,000 new subscribers in Q3. The company’s broadband subscriber base now stands at 241,400 subscribers.
UPC’s parent company, Liberty Global, reported revenues of US$2.6bn, up 4pc. However, Liberty Global reported a net loss of US$333m.
Liberty Global’s fastest-growing countries in terms of revenue in Q3 were Ireland, Poland and Germany, which delivered rebased growth of 12pc, 9pc and 8pc, respectively.
“We continue to grow the company effectively by adding new residential and business subscribers across our product set,” UPC Ireland’s new CEO Dana Strong says.
“UPC maintains a strong presence in our market due to our anticipation of the demand for high-bandwidth broadband services from consumers in Ireland. A key aspect is the €400m network investment programme which over the past four years has helped to bring the benefits of the digital economy to a large base of Irish households and businesses.”
The company says 87pc of its subscriber base in urban areas can receive 30Mbps broadband while 60pc can achieve 100Mbps.
“The success and substantial network investment in people and infrastructure comes at a time when many would have been concerned about the viability of big investments in Ireland but we are confident our fibre investment will continue to be well-received.
“With 87pc of UPC homes across urban centres and regional towns able to receive 30Mb broadband and 60pc able to receive 100Mb, we are the clear choice for quality services at great value,” Strong said.
The company said it now has 858,500 general service subscriptions, up 13pc year-on-year. It has 241,400 broadband subscribers, up 31pc year-on-year. Digital television subscribers now stand at 384,900, up 3pc.
The company added 56,600 home phone subscribers over the last year, representing a growth rate of 65pc and achieving a total of 143,800 phone customers, which it attributes to the introduction of new call rates.
