Deutsche Telekom's shares rose 1 per cent Thursday after Europe's biggest telecoms company reported a 32-per-cent jump in second-quarter profits, according to dpa. The Bonn-based group said net profit rose to 521 million euros (751 million dollars) in the three months to the end of June period compared with 394 million in the same period last year. "The figures for the second quarter make us confident for the full year," said Telekoms' chief executive Rene Obermann. Deutsche Telekom AG also confirmed its forecast for 2009. The group's earnings were boosted by the consolidation in its accounts of Greek telecoms operator Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA, which it acquired last year and helped to offset tough competition in the German group's domestic telecoms market. Telekom's group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 8.4 per cent to 5.03 billion euros from 4.6 billion euros. Revenue increased 7.4 per cent to 16.24 billion euros from 15.13 billion euros, the group said. With the second-quarter report roughly in line with analysts' expectations, Telekom's shares edging up 1 per cent to 8.3 euros following the release of the second-quarter results. The company said the number of its mobile-phone subscribers stood at 150 million at the end of the second quarter. This represented an increase of about 8 million compared with the same period last year. At the same time, the group's fixed network operations, including its broadband services, reported a 17-per-cent rise to 14.5 million subscribers. But reflecting the fierce competition in Germany's telecoms markets, Telekom said sales in its domestic German broadband and fixed-line operations dropped 5.1 per cent to 4.75 billion euros in the second quarter.
