German telecoms group Deutsche Telekom returned to profit in the second quarter of this year after an improved performance by its various businesses.
The company reported net profit of €256m in the period from April to June, ahead of analysts' expectations for a loss, compared with a net loss of just over €2 billion a year earlier. In the first six months as a whole, net profit amounted to €1.1 billion after a loss of €3.9 billion a year earlier.
Second quarter sales rose by 4.7% to €13.6 billion, despite the impact of deconsolidation of Deutsch Telekom's cable business and the strength of the euro.
The main growth drivers were the Internet services provider T-Online, and the mobile phone arm T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom said.
The company said it had made some headway in cutting net debt, which stood at €53 billion at the end of June, compared with €56.3 billion three months earlier.
Deutsche Telekom plans to resume dividend payments from next year. The last time the group paid a dividend was for the 2001 financial year.
