Telekom Austria Group Announces Preliminary Results for First Quarter 2001 (Ad hoc Release)
(Vienna, 23.05.2001) – Telekom Austria (VSE: TKA; NYSE: TKA) announced today preliminary financial results for the first quarter 2001.
Telekom Austria Group expects to report an increase in total revenues, including Mobilkom Austria's earnings, by 2.3% to EUR 967.4 million for the first quarter 2001, compared with the first quarter 2000. EBITDA of Telekom Austria Group, including Mobilkom Austria, is expected to increase by 7.4% to EUR 377.0 million. With a view to a clear presentation of the operative performance, in future Telekom Austria will report EBITDA exclusive of personnel restructuring expenses (1st quarter 2001: EUR 6.3 million, 1st quarter 2000: EUR 8.9 million ).Telekom Austria, excluding Mobilkom Austria, expects to announce a decrease in revenues by 6.7% to EUR 666.7 million for the first quarter 2001. These consolidated figures comprise the fixed line, data communications and Internet segments. EBITDA, exclusive of the aforementioned personnel restructuring expenses, is expected to decrease by 8.8% to EUR 218.0 million. Reductions in operative expenses by over EUR 27 million reflect the success of cost cutting measures. In the first quarter 2001, EBITDA margin increased to 32.7% compared with 29.7% in the full year 2000.
Mobilkom Austria expects to report an increase in consolidated revenues to EUR 411,9 million (+21.5%), consolidated EBITDA is expected to increase by 42.1% to EUR 159.0 million. The successful development of VIPnet in Croatia contributed positively to the increase of the EBITDA margin to 38.6% in the first quarter 2001, compared with 29.2% in the full year 2000.
Preliminary results indicate that access channels in the fixed line segment registered a decrease by 0.3% to 3.842 million in the first quarter 2001 compared with the first quarter 2000. The number of mobile communications customers increased by 36.9% to 3.6 million in the same period. This figure comprises, for the first time, 168,000 customers of the recently acquired si.mobil in Slovenia. In the first quarter of 2001, the number of Internet users in Austria increased by 135% to 353,500 compared with the first quarter of 2000, and in the Czech Republic it doubled totaling almost 393,600.
The number of full-time employees within Telekom Austria Group was reduced to 18,180 in the first quarter of 2001, compared with 18,560 in the year 2000 and with 18,638 in the first quarter of 2000. The personnel level in the fixed line segment alone (on average for the first quarter 2001) is expected to total 14,003 compared with 14,982 in the year 2000 and with 15,295 in the first quarter of 2000.
The complete publication of the financial results for the first quarter 2001 will be on May 30, 2001 in line with the financial calendar.
Notes to Editors:
Telekom Austria is Austria's leading provider of telecommunications services. It was listed on the Vienna and New York stock exchanges in November 2000 and has a current market capitalisation of EUR 3.2 billion. The group has four main business areas: fixed line, mobile communications, data communications, and Internet. It has international operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia.Contact:
Hans Fruhmann
Investor Relations
Tel: +43 (0) 59059 1-20917
E-Mail: Hans.Fruhmann@telekom.at
Cubitt Consulting (UK)
Serra Balls/Noga Villalon
Tel. +44 (0)20 7367 5100
E-Mail: serra.balls@cubitt.com
Broadgate (USA)
Mark Kollar/Curran Mcann
Tel: +1 212 232 2222
E-Mail: Mkollar@broadgate.com
