Present in 29 countries, Orange Group has a total customer base of 250 million customers worldwide at 30 June 2016, including 189 million mobile customers and 18 million fixed broadband customers.
According to its 3rd quarter 2016 financial results, In Africa and the Middle East, orange’s mobile customer base at 30 September 2016 stood at 113.5 million customers including Tigo’s 3.4m customers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cellcom”s 1.5m customers in Liberia.
The firm says the trend in net additions improved significantly, with 103,000 net customer additions in the 3rd quarter after a decrease of 1.4 million customers in the 2nd quarter on a comparable basis. Orange Money had 20 million customers at 30 September 2016 (+30% year on year).
Orange Group’s revenues reached 10.323 billion euros in the 3rd quarter of 2016, up 0.8% , after rising 0.3% in the 1st half (on a comparable basis). At 30 September 2016, revenues had increased 0.5%. The improving trend was confirmed despite the impact of the decline of national roaming in France and of roaming price reductions in Europe.
Growth accelerated in Spain, rising 7.8% in the 3rd quarter after an increase of 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Growth resumed in the Belgium and Luxembourg segment (+1.7%), and the trend improved in the Enterprise segment (+0.7%). France posted a modest decline of 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, while revenues rose 2.5% in Africa and the Middle East in the 3rd quarter following growth of 2.3% in the 2nd quarter.
For the full-year 2016, Orange confirms that restated EBITDA will be greater than that of 2015 on a comparable basis. This objective will be supported by continued commercial momentum,
investments, and efforts to improve the cost structure. The Group also confirms the target of a restated ratio of net debt to EBITDA of around 2x in the medium term to preserve Orange’s financial strength and investment capacity. Within this framework, the Group is maintaining a policy of selective, value-creating acquisitions concentrating on markets in which it is already present.
Commenting on the publication of the results for the first nine months of 2016, Stéphane Richard, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the Orange Group, stated: “In Africa and the Middle East, where Orange Money customers now exceed 20 million, the increasing take-up of smartphones and our commercial strategy has translated into strong growth in mobile data revenues.”
Stéphane also said the integration of the recently acquired operations in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on track, with the latter two operations now consolidated.
