Deutsche Telekom reports healthy second quarter

German incumbent Deutsche Telekom recorded some good news for its bottom line during the second quarter of 2009, as net profit jumped 32.2 per cent year on year from €349m in the second quarter of 2008 to €521m.

Net revenue for the group also increased 7.4 per cent year on year during the second quarter of 2009 to €16.24bn.

Boosted by the consolidation of Greek carrier OTE, the firm’s wireless group, T-Mobile, recorded an 8.6 per cent increase in net profit, which climbed from €1.4bn in 2008 to €1.57bn in the second quarter of 2009.

As of June 30, 2009, T-Mobile served some 150 million mobile customers worldwide, an increase of eight million on last year. Mobile data usage also continued to drive growth, with data revenues at the Western and Central European mobile communications operations increasing by 30 per cent year on year in the second quarter to €455m. Growth in the US was even more pronounced, with data revenues increasing by 42 per cent year on year to $526m.

But T-Mobile UK is feeling the pressure, having lost 206,000 customers since the second quarter of 2008, taking its tally down to 16.6 million. Earlier this week, the operator struck a five-year deal with Indian managed services firm Infosys BPO to outsource its finance operations in a bid to cut costs.

The fixed line operation is still suffering, however, with profit sinking 7.2 per cent year on year to €760m in the second quarter. In the fixed network segment, the number of retail broadband customers in Germany and abroad grew by 16.7 per cent in the same period 2008 from 12.4 million to 14.5 million.