Portuguese snap up bundled telecoms deals, NOS leads by revenue
02/12/2014 14:52
LISBON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The number of Portuguese opting
for bundled phone, Internet and pay-TV services jumped 10.5
percent in the third quarter from a year earlier and revenues
increased even more, led by a strong performance at
newly-created NOS NOS.LS .
With phone-only revenues under pressure in a mature and
cash-strapped European market, telecoms companies are
increasingly looking to sell a package of services including
broadband and pay-TV in order to win customers.
In Britain, BT Group BT.L is in talks with mobile network
providers EE and O2 about potentially adding a further service
to its offering. ID:nL6N0TE1T5
In Portugal, data from telecoms agency Anacom showed 2.8
million subscribers used bundled services in the third quarter,
including the highest number of new clients in 2-1/2 years.
Anacom said 71 out of 100 households had bundled services,
up from around 64 a year earlier. Portugal's economy started to
recover from a long recession last year and is expected to
return to modest growth this year.
Revenues in the bundled segment rose 11.4 percent in the
quarter to 847 million euros ($1.1 billion), led by NOS -- the
product of a recent merger between local companies ZON and
Sonaecom's SNC.LS unit Optimus.
While traditional market leader Portugal Telecom (PT), whose
operating assets have been incorporated into Brazil's Oi
OIBR3.SA , led by total number of bundled customers, accounting
for a 44 percent market share, its main rival NOS was ahead in
terms of revenues with 43 percent against PT's 42 percent.
Vodafone VOD.L had a customer market share of 9.4 percent
and was the only company to grow that measure in the quarter.
Altice ATCE.AS , which is set to buy PT's assets from Oi,
had a subscriber market share of 7.7 percent. ID:nL6N0TL281 .
(1 US dollar = 0.8053 euro)
(Reporting by Daniel Alvarenga and Andrei Khalip; Editing by
Mark Potter)
((andrei.khalip@thomsonreuters.com;)(351)(213-509-209; Reuters
Messaging: andrei.khalip.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: PORTUGAL TELECOMS/