Final Results - Part 2

Vodafone Group Plc 25 May 2004 Vodafone Group Plc Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 March 2004 PART 2 United Kingdom Vodafone UK successfully maintained its leading market position, based on revenue share, according to the regulator's last published data, in line with its strategic objectives, despite pricing pressures caused by intensifying competition and regulatory activity. Total UK turnover increased by 18% to £4,744 million, driven by organic growth of 12% and the acquisition of a number of service providers, including Singlepoint (4U) Limited ('Singlepoint') which contributed growth of 6%. The organic growth resulted from the larger customer base and increased usage of both voice and data services, partially offset by a regulatory reduction in termination rates and the inclusion of calls to other mobile operators within new bundled price plans. Data revenues, as a percentage of service revenues, improved over the year to 16.1% for the year ended 31 March 2004 as usage levels of SMS and other data offerings increased. The increased number of Vodafone live!TM customers contributed towards the improved data usage. Equipment and other revenue increased by 111%, as a result of revenues from non-Vodafone customers acquired with the service providers and increased customer acquisition and upgrade activity. Blended ARPU increased in the year, mainly due to growth in prepaid ARPU and the Singlepoint acquisition. Prepaid ARPU improved to £130 for the year ended 31 March 2004 from £125 for the year ended 31 March 2003. Contract ARPU, excluding the impact of the Singlepoint acquisition, decreased marginally by £1 to £531 for the year ended 31 March 2004. Vodafone UK's share of mobile service revenue in the latest quarterly review by OFCOM, the new national UK regulator, for the quarter ended 30 September 2003, was 31.8%, representing a lead of 6.5 percentage points over the second placed competitor. Registered customers increased by 6% to 14,095,000 and the proportion of contract customers and activity levels remained stable throughout the year. The acquisition of the service providers, including Singlepoint, during the year increased the proportion of in-house managed contract customers from 57% to 93%, enabling closer management of the contract customer base. On 24 July 2003, Vodafone UK reduced its termination charges by RPI minus 15% (on the weighted average charge for the previous year) to comply with its licence requirements. This reduction implemented the decision of the UK Competition Commission in January 2003. OFCOM is required to conduct a market review of call termination under the new EC regulatory framework brought into force on 25 July 2003 and is expected to conclude its review in summer 2004. The previous regulator, Oftel, had proposed further cuts in the current and next financial year. The UK EBITDA margin fell by 4.4 percentage points to 33.9%. Contributing factors included increased investment in the acquisition and retention of the customer base, increased interconnect costs due to changes in the call mix and lower incoming revenues due to the reduction in termination rates. As the Singlepoint business has a lower margin, this has diluted the margin in the second half of the year. These factors have been partially offset by operating efficiencies, including reductions in network operating costs as a percentage of turnover. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, has reduced by £22 million to £1,098 million due to the factors discussed above and increased depreciation charges as a result of a general increase in capital expenditure and amortisation of the 3G licence, which was charged for the first time in this year. Vodafone UK announced a restructuring programme in the second half of the year which resulted in an exceptional charge of £130 million relating to staff costs, property provisions and the write down of other assets. The objective of the restructuring is to consolidate recent business acquisitions and to reorganise the customer management organisation to meet the changing needs of its customers. In addition, the business reorganised its network and technology organisations and implemented a programme to consolidate switching centres in its network. The benefits of this strategic initiative are expected to be realised through a reduction in operating expenses, and so improving margins, during the coming financial years. Please see 'Forward-Looking Statements' on page 34. Ireland Vodafone Ireland's turnover increased by 12% when measured in local currency, benefiting from increased voice and data usage. Blended ARPU grew from €553 to €582, in part as a result of strong growth in data revenues, which improved to represent 20.5% of service revenues for the year ended 31 March 2004, from 19.1% for the prior year. Ireland continues to have the highest levels of outgoing voice usage per customer in the Group's controlled mobile businesses, and the highest data usage in the Group's European mobile businesses, which combine to generate the strong ARPU performance. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, increased by 16% when measured in local currency, principally driven by the increased turnover combined with improvements in operating efficiency. Vodafone Ireland successfully maintained its leadership with an approximate market share of 54% and a closing customer base of 1,864,000. Phase 1 of its 3G licence obligation was met on 1 May 2003. NORTHERN EUROPE Financial highlights Year ended 31 March % change 2004 2003 £m £m £ €(3) Turnover Germany: - Voice services 4,123 3,699 11 3 - Data services 895 728 23 14 ------- ------- - Total service revenue 5,018 4,427 13 5 - Equipment and other 386 219 76 63 ------- ------- 5,404 4,646 16 8 Other Northern Europe 1,949 1,531 27 ------- ------- 7,353 6,177 19 ------- ------- Total Group Germany 1,741 1,435 21 9 operating profit(1) Other Northern Europe 1,451 1,077 35 ------- ------- 3,192 2,512 27 ------- ------- Proportionate Germany 46.1% 43.4% EBITDA margin(2) Other Northern Europe 39.0% 39.0% Key performance indicators (Germany only) Customers ('000)(4) 25,012 22,940 ARPU(4) €310 €313 Churn 18.7% 21.2% Acquisition and retention costs net of equipment revenues, as a percentage of service revenues(4) 13.4% 12.6% (1) before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items (2) see pages 31 and 32 for details of proportionate turnover and EBITDA (3) local currency percentage change (4) refer to definitions on pages 36, 38 and 40 Germany Vodafone Germany performed well in the year, further improving its operational performance. Turnover in Germany increased by 8% when measured in local currency, reflecting the increase in the customer base offset by marginally lower ARPU. Germany represents the largest mobile market in Europe, in terms of customer numbers and, notwithstanding a 10% growth in the market for the 2004 financial year, penetration, at an estimated 80%, is still relatively low. Vodafone Germany's customer base increased by 9% in the 2004 financial year. The mix of contract customers increased from 47% at 31 March 2003 to 49% at 31 March 2004, although new contract customers have been, in general, lower usage customers than the existing customer base. As a result, contract ARPU fell from €519 for the 12 months ended 31 March 2003 to €494 for the 12 months ended 31 March 2004. Prepaid ARPU remained stable at €130 during the year after increasing over the course of the prior year. Data revenues increased by 14% when measured in local currency and represented 17.4% of service revenues, up from 16.4% in the previous financial year, primarily due to Vodafone live!TM. Increased investment in acquisition and retention has contributed to the improved churn rate and high customer growth. The EBITDA margin improved by 2.7 percentage points over last year to 46.1%, principally driven by cost efficiencies in the second half of the year, particularly in network and IT costs. Acquisition costs as a percentage of turnover were also lower over the Christmas period, in comparison to the same period in the prior financial year, due to lower handset subsidies and trade commissions. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, benefited from these factors, although their effect was partially offset by higher depreciation and licence amortisation costs as the 3G network was brought into use in February 2004. Other Northern Europe Proportionate customers for the other markets in the Northern Europe region increased by 11% to 15,575,000 in the period, including the effect of stake increases in the Netherlands, from 97.2% to 99.9%, and Hungary, from 83.8% to 87.9%. The increase in turnover was primarily as a result of growth in the Netherlands and Hungary. In the Netherlands, the increase in revenues was principally driven by an increased contract customer base and higher data service usage and revenue. In Hungary, turnover growth followed the increase in the customer base. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, grew principally as a result of an increase in the profits of the Group's associated undertaking, SFR. This business reported a strong financial performance, with revenue increasing as a result of an 8% increase in the customer base to 14,370,000, and higher data revenue. Blended ARPU was broadly unchanged from the previous year. The reported results also benefited from the full year impact of an effective stake increase in the mobile business of SFR from 31.9% to 43.9% in the second half of the previous financial year. In the Netherlands, the EBITDA margin decreased slightly due to higher net acquisition and retention costs. In Sweden, operating expenses increased significantly as a result of the cost of building out 3G network coverage, which led to a decrease in operating profit before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items. Partner Network Agreements were signed in the year with Og Fjarskipti in Iceland, Bite GSM in Lithuania and LuxGSM in Luxembourg. SOUTHERN EUROPE Financial highlights Year ended 31 March % change 2004 2003 £m £m £ €(3) Turnover Italy: - Voice services 4,346 3,656 19 10 - Data services 668 463 44 34 ------- ------- - Total service revenue 5,014 4,119 22 13 - Equipment and other 262 252 4 (3) ------- ------- 5,276 4,371 21 12 Other Southern Europe 4,500 3,680 22 ------- ------- 9,776 8,051 21 ------- ------- Total Group Italy 2,143 1,588 35 23 operating Other Southern profit(1) Europe 1,156 907 27 ------- ------- 3,299 2,495 32 ------- ------- Proportionate Italy 53.0% 49.3% EBITDA Other Southern margin(2) Europe 37.1% 35.6% Key performance indicators (Italy only) Customers ('000)(4) 21,137 19,412 ARPU(4) €361 €347 Churn 16.7% 17.3% Acquisition and retention costs net of equipment revenues, as a percentage of service revenues(4) 2.8% 3.4% (1) before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items (2) see pages 31 and 32 for details of proportionate turnover and EBITDA (3) local currency percentage change (4) refer to definitions on pages 36, 38 and 40 Italy Vodafone Italy produced another strong set of results, in spite of the increasingly competitive and highly penetrated market. In local currency, turnover increased by 12%, driven by a 13% growth in service revenues, partially offset by a 3% decrease in equipment and other revenues arising from reduced handset sales. The increase in service revenue was driven by the larger customer base and increased usage, particularly of data services, partially offset by the impact of regulatory changes on interconnect rates. Data revenues improved significantly to represent 13.3% of service revenues for the year (2003: 11.3%), mainly due to SMS but also the positive contribution from Vodafone live!TM and Mobile Connect datacard. Blended ARPU increased by 4% to €361 following the rise in prepaid ARPU from €298 to €309 and contract ARPU increased by 10% to €900. Vodafone Italy responded to increased competition levels in the Italian market with continued investment in the Vodafone One loyalty scheme and retail stores coupled with a strong focus on business and higher value customers. This contributed to the increase in ARPU and the reduction in churn. The EBITDA margin grew significantly, partially as a result of a reduction in acquisition and retention costs, as a percentage of revenue, operational efficiencies and no accrual being made for a contribution tax levied by the local regulatory authority following a favourable European Court of Justice ruling on its legality, which benefited EBITDA margin growth by 1.6 percentage points. These factors were partially offset by higher interconnect costs, due to higher interconnect volume and increased international roaming traffic. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, was affected by the commencement of depreciation on the 3G network and amortisation of the 3G licence following the launch of 3G commercial services. Other Southern Europe Proportionate customers for the Group's other operations in the Southern Europe region increased by 19% during the year, including 10% arising from stake changes in the Group's operations in Greece, Portugal, Albania and Malta. Vodafone Spain's turnover for the year ended 31 March 2004 increased by 22% to £2,608 million (13% when measured in local currency) as a result of a 7% rise in the customer base and improved voice and data usage, partially offset by reduced prices. The EBITDA margin increased due to the increased proportion of data revenue and reduced acquisition and retention costs as a percentage of turnover. The results for the remaining markets in the region also improved. Vodafone Portugal's turnover improved by 7%, when measured in local currency, driven by voice and data usage on top of an increase in customer numbers. Vodafone Portugal's EBITDA margin improved due to operational efficiencies. In February 2004, a Partner Network Agreement was signed with Cytamobile in Cyprus. AMERICAS Financial highlights Year ended 31 March % change 2004 2003 £m £m £ $(3) Total Group Verizon Wireless 1,406 1,270 11 20 operating Other Americas (13) (51) (75) profit/(loss)(1) ------- ------- 1,393 1,219 14 ------- ------- Proportionate Verizon Wireless 6,111 5,686 7 18 turnover(2) Other Americas 31 116 (73) ------- ------- 6,142 5,802 6 ------- ------- Proportionate Verizon Wireless 35.9% 35.2% EBITDA Other Americas (9.7)% (20.7)% margin(2) Key performance indicators (Verizon Wireless only) Customers ('000)(4) 38,909 33,324 ARPU(4) $604 $584 Churn 20.5% 26.5% Acquisition and retention costs net of equipment revenues, as a percentage of service revenues(4) 13.4% 13.2% (1) before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items (2) see pages 31 and 32 for details of proportionate turnover and EBITDA (3) local currency percentage change (4) refer to definitions on pages 36, 38 and 40 Verizon Wireless In a highly competitive US market, Verizon Wireless continues to outperform its competitors and ranked first in customer net additions for the year ended 31 March 2004. The total customer base increased by 17% over the year to 38,909,000. At 31 March 2004, US market penetration and Verizon Wireless' market share were approximately 56% and 24%, respectively. On a local currency basis, proportionate turnover increased by 18%, driven by higher service revenue from the larger customer base and an increase in ARPU. Data products, such as picture messaging, positively contributed to an increase in data revenue of 172%, which represents 2.7% of service revenue for the current year. The rise in ARPU was primarily due to a higher proportion of customers on higher access price plans. Churn rates continued to improve and are among the lowest in the US wireless industry despite the introduction of local number portability in the largest 100 metropolitan service areas from 24 November 2003, which allows customers to keep their phone numbers when switching providers. The low churn rate is attributable to the quality of Verizon Wireless' network and the success of retention programmes such as the Worry Free GuaranteeSM, which includes the New Every TwoSM plan. The EBITDA margin increased to 35.9% reflecting increased cost efficiencies being partially offset by increased acquisition and retention costs net of equipment revenues, as a percentage of service revenues, resulting from higher gross additions and upgrade activities. In local currency, the Group's share of Verizon Wireless' operating profit before goodwill amortisation increased by 20%. Verizon Wireless continued to expand its product base, with the launch during the period of the first graphics based instant messaging application and a picture messaging service to complement its data products. Additionally, Verizon Wireless began to expand its BroadbandAccess service nationally. Powered by its Evolution-Data Optimized wide-area network, BroadbandAccess commercial service will be available in many major US cities later this year. On 23 May 2003, Verizon Wireless completed a transaction with Northcoast Communications L.L.C. to purchase 50 Personal Communications licences and related network assets for approximately $762 million in cash. The PCS licences cover large portions of the East Coast and Midwest, serving approximately 47 million people. Other Americas On 29 July 2003, the Group completed the disposal of its stake in the Mexican mobile operator Grupo Iusacell. ASIA PACIFIC Financial highlights Year ended 31 March % change 2004 2003 £m £m £ Y(3) Turnover Japan: - Voice services 4,788 4,776 - 2 - Data services 1,350 1,216 11 12 ------- ------- - Total service revenue 6,138 5,992 2 4 - Equipment and other 1,607 1,547 4 5 ------- ------- 7,745 7,539 3 4 Other Asia Pacific 1,040 825 26 ------- ------- 8,785 8,364 5 ------- ------- Total Group Japan 1,045 1,310 (20) (20) operating Other Asia profit(1) Pacific 167 111 50 ------- ------- 1,212 1,421 (15) ------- ------- Proportionate Japan 28.9% 31.3% EBITDA Other Asia margin(2) Pacific 40.6% 40.2% Key performance indicators (Japan only) Customers ('000)(4) 14,951 13,912 ARPU(4) Y80,695 Y87,159 Churn 23.0% 23.3% Acquisition and retention costs net of equipment revenues, as a percentage of service revenues(4) 21.0% 21.9% (1) before goodwill amortisation (2) see pages 31 and 32 for details of proportionate turnover and EBITDA (3) local currency percentage change (4) refer to definitions on pages 36, 38 and 40 Japan This financial year has been challenging for Vodafone Japan due to the strength of competitor offerings. Turnover increased to £7,745 million for the year ended 31 March 2004, representing 4% growth when expressed in local currency. The customer base increased by 7% over the year, with the proportion of lower value prepaid customers increasing to 9% from 6%. ARPU reduced by 7%, as a result of higher value contract customers migrating to competitors, the effect of new price plans and the increased prepaid customer base. Vodafone Japan's market share, at 31 March 2004, was marginally lower, at 18.4%, than at 31 March 2003. Overall mobile penetration levels in Japan remain low compared with the other markets in which the Group operates, increasing over the year from 64% to 68% at 31 March 2004. 20% of Japanese mobile users were connected to 3G network services at 31 March 2004, compared with 9% at 31 March 2003. The lack of suitable 3G handsets available for the Vodafone Global Standard W-CDMA network, compared with the range available through other operators using different 3G technologies, amongst other factors, has limited Vodafone Japan's ability to compete effectively in the 3G market. Vodafone Japan held less than 1% of the customers in the 3G market at 31 March 2004. To counteract these competitive pressures, Vodafone Japan implemented measures in October 2003 including new price plans, additional investment in the upgrade of existing customers and improved loyalty schemes and introduced a new range of 2.5G handsets. The EBITDA margin fell as expected, particularly in the second half of the financial year, due to increased marketing expenditure, higher network operating costs and an increase in provisions for slow moving handset stocks. Acquisition and retention costs, net of equipment revenues, fell from the previous financial year, though the trend reversed in the second half of the financial year reflecting a high volume of upgrades. Operating profit, before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items, further reduced as a result of a higher depreciation charge due to launch of the 3G network in December 2002. The Group is developing a full range of 3G handsets which are expected to be available in the quarter leading up to Christmas 2004 and are expected to put Vodafone Japan in a better competitive position. However, until these handsets are introduced, the necessary focus on retention and upgrades is expected to keep margins depressed. A plan is in place to improve Vodafone Japan's performance and competitive position, focusing on cost reductions through leveraging the Group's global scale and scope, improving the efficiency of the distribution structure, enhancing customer propositions, including new product offerings, and focusing on business customers and refining the organisational structure to ensure Vodafone Japan is more agile and commercially driven. Please see 'Forward-Looking Statements' on page 34. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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