Telecoms company Eir has reported a slight increase in third quarter reveues and earnings as it continues to expand its customer base here.
Eir said its revenue in the third quarter rose by 3% or €9m to €324m, while EBITDA rose by 1% to €148m, with both figures in line with expectations.
The company said its operating costs rose by 6% to €102m with non-pay costs up 13% due to an increase in accommodation and marketing costs, while pay costs decreased by 3%.
During the three month period, eir's total fibre broadband base increased by 3% year on year to 883,000 customers, while its postpay mobile customers rose by 111,000 to 1,184,000 customers.
It noted that multi-play bundling accounted for 55% of eir fixed households, up 5 percentage points year on year.
Eir said that 1.3 million premises are now passed with Fibre to the home (FTTH) broadband across the country, up 18% or 186,000 year on year.
A total of 2.2 million premises are passed by its combined FTTH and FTTC networks, or 95% of premises in Ireland.
Eir also said its mobile customers rose by 7% in the third quarter to reach a total of 1.498 million, while eir TV customers jumped by 17% to 112,000.
It said it has committed a further €500m in capital investment to further build out its fibre network across Ireland.
"Eir's critical role in driving a digitally inclusive Ireland, with a network supporting €172 billion of activity in digital economy, alongside the Government’s national broadband plan, will mean that every home and business in the country - more than 2.4 million premises - will have access to high-speed gigabit broadband by the end of 2028," it stated.
Oliver Loomes, eir CEO, said today's results reflect the effective execution of eir's strategic priorities, particularly its focus on expanding high-quality telecommunications infrastructure to meet growing customer demand.
"With 1.3 million premises now passed with fibre-to-the-home and over 500,000 homes and businesses connected, eir is not only solidifying its leadership in the sector but also championing the drive toward a digitally inclusive Ireland."
He also said that eir's first Economic and Social Impact Report shows that over the past six years, it has invested nearly €1.7 billion in telecommunications infrastructure, making Ireland one of the most digitally connected countries in Europe.
"Looking ahead, we have committed an additional €500m to expand our gigabit fibre network, from 1.3 million premises currently to 1.9 million across the country," the CEO said.
