Carphone Warehouse gained 118,000 net new broadband subscribers in the quarter to December 29, taking it up to 2.6 million, and the TalkTalk churn rate held steady. It helped fixed-line revenue up 36 percent to £349 million. “The success of (local loop) unbundling significantly enhances the visibility of future earnings,” CEO Charles Dunstone said, now expecting total additions for the second half of last year to approach 250,000. Pre-pay phones was “a little more subdued than last year” but there was “strong growth” in mobile data. Overall quarterly profit is up 3.1 percent, though a figure wasn’t given. Statement and financials.
Broadband will help BSkyB turn around an end-of-year share price slump brought about by regulatory inquiries in to its pay-TV business, one investment bank reckons. A Morgan Stanley note (via RapidTV) says: