Mobile operator O2 Ireland has reported operating profits of €96m for the six months to the end of September, an increase of 70% on the same period last year.
Total revenues were €371m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose from €114m to €147m. The company's customer based was up marginally to just under 1.3 million.
Figures from the parent company mmO2 show that monthly average minutes of usage on the O2 Ireland network were 192, compared with 114 in the UK and 113 in Germany.
Average revenue per user was €551, up from €542 in the same period a year earlier, driven by an increase in contract customers.
Chief executive Danuta Gray said the results showed that the high profits in the Irish market were driven by higher usage by customers and not high call charges.
O2 has also announced a range of price reductions for its pre-paid customers, including a 13% reduction in the cost of peak time calls and the extension of off-peak hours from 12 to 16 hours each day. Weekend calls to other networks are being cut by up to 37%, while weekend calls to O2 mobiles and landlines come down by 8%. The cuts come into effect immediately.
