Strong increase in subscribers: more than 56,000 new clients in April-June 2005
Network coverage extended to 5.9 million households
Milan, 7 July 2005 - FASTWEB (Milan, Nuovo Mercato: FWB), Italy's leading broadband telecommunications company, released preliminary consolidated figures for the first half 2005, that indicate a strong year-on-year improvement.
The customer base growth set a record level in the second quarter 2005, confirming the commercial success also in the cities where FASTWEB introduced its services at the end of the first and during the second quarter.
FASTWEB consolidated revenues were over 421 million Euro in the first half 2005, an increase of approximately 25% compared to 337 million Euro in the first half 2004. Revenues amounted to over 227 million Euro in the second quarter, an increase of approximately 27% compared to 179 million Euro in the corresponding 2004 period.
The company also reported significant EBITDA growth. EBITDA amounts to approximately 128 million Euro in the first half of the year, a 29% increase compared to 99.5 million Euro in the first half 2004. EBITDA was equal to approximately 68 million Euro in the second-quarter, with an margin in line with the same period 2004.
FASTWEB reported a net increase of more than 56,000 new subscribers in the quarter, 20% higher than the best quarterly result previously recorded, leading the customer base to more than 598,000 clients as of 30 June 2005.
FASTWEB's network, now extending for 17,000 km, reached 5.9 million households at the end of June, a population coverage of more than 27%, compared to 4.8 million home passed as at 31 March 2005. FASTWEB services are now available in 54 new metropolitan areas, 7 of which were connected in the first quarter and 47 between April and June (including Bergamo, Novara, Varese, Pavia, Brescia, Verona, Trento, Piacenza, Trieste, Pescara, Livorno, Pisa, Florence, Foggia and Palermo), providing evidence of the acceleration impressed to the expansion plan launched at the beginning of the year.
The above-mentioned numbers are preliminary and subject to possible modification. The final consolidated first-half 2005 results will be announced on 29 August 2005.