Mobile communication provider Drei achieved a turnover of 885 million euros in the past financial year, an increase of two percent compared to 2021 (866 million euros). The operating result (EBIT) also rose by two percent from EUR 192 million to EUR 196 million. This means that the growth rate is almost back to pre-pandemic year levels, Drei boss Rudolf Schrefl said on Thursday.
“As a trio, we have worked very solidly over the past year in a very challenging environment,” says Schrefl. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by three percent from 2021 to 2022 and amounted to 350 million euros last year.
Inflation causes prices to rise
“The only thing weighing on our result due to the fees are the cost increases, which are felt by all companies and households in Austria,” says Schrefl. Costs such as energy costs, personnel costs and rent in particular have become important here, which – reported by krone.at – are now being passed on to existing customers in the form of price increases.
The number of customers remained stable in 2022 at 4.1 million. The mobile communication provider was able to grow in terms of business customers and discount offers, and roaming revenues have also increased again “fortunately due to increased mobility”, the company manager summed up.
Fixed rates and record data transfer
“There is no other mobile communications provider that distributes as much data through its networks as we do,” says Schrefl, whose company is the only network operator that already offers affordable 5G flat rate tariffs. “And that is of course only possible because we also invest record amounts every year in network expansion.” That is 42 GB (2021: 36.2 GB) per SIM card and month.
Drei will invest 1.2 billion euros in the expansion of the 5G network in the coming years. “We see it very clearly as our mission, our mandate, but also as a matter of course that we bring 5G to the area,” says Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthias Baldermann. The plan is to connect 738 “underserved” communities to the 5G broadband network by the end of 2025.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
