Vodafone UK Grow Fixed Broadband Users to 109K as 4G Cover Improves

Vodafone UK has published their latest results, which show another increase in fixed line broadband growth by adding +20k customers in the quarter to total 109,000 (up from the +14k added in Q4 2015 and +5k in Q3 2015). Elsewhere UK outdoor 4G coverage has reached 84% (91% using Ofcom’s definition).

The operator’s home broadband service only became a truly national proposition in October 2015 (here) and as such we’re now starting to see the fruits of that move, with higher take-up being pushed through via their existing base of mobile subscribers. No doubt some of TalkTalk’s recent losses may have also gone Vodafone’s way.

But Vodafone will need to put more effort into the promotion of their related Vodafone Connect packages if they’re to truly take off and most of the 109,000 fixed broadband customers are still coming from other ISPs (LLU network) and or business connections. “We began to offer our consumer broadband service to 24 million premises across the UK (98% of BT’s fibre footprint) in October, securing 38,000 customers by 31 March 2016,” said the operator.

Otherwise the operator’s main focus is still very much on their core mobile business, which added 1.3 million extra 4G subscribers in the quarter to total 7 million (up from the +1 million added in Q4 2015); this rises to 18,197,000 when you add in all mobile subscribers and that’s down from 18,394,900 in the previous quarter.

On the financial front Vodafone also delivered quarterly UK revenue of £1,466m (up from £1,442m in the previous quarter), which signals a steady improvement after several bad quarters. But once again there’s no mention of the planned TV product and that is due to launch by around the end of this year.