The 3 Group moved to an EBIT profit of HKD 776 million in the first half of 2011, from a loss of HKD 998 million a year earlier. The Hutchison Whampoa subsidiary said all operations, apart from Australia and Ireland, reported improved results and positive EBIT for the period. 3 Group revenue grew 12 percent in local currencies and was up 23 percent in the group's reporting currency to HKD 36.76 billion. ARPU, based on a 12-month trailing average of the active customer base, was down 1 percent to EUR 29.23 from the full-year 2010 result of EUR 29.50. Excluding currency effects the figure was down 3 percent, mainly due to regulatory price cuts. Subscriber acquisition costs fell 2 percent to EUR 97. Results include a one-time net gain of HKD 457 million for a change in licensing terms in Italy, offset by a write-off of HKD 917 million due to the loss of a court ruling on termination rates in Italy and other provisions of HKD 469 million. The total customer base grew 3 percent in the six months and was at 30.2 million as of 3 August, and mobile broadband subscribers rose 6 percent to over 6.1 million. 3 said 52 percent of customers were on postpaid contracts, while 81 percent of customers were considered active. The company expects the Australian operations to return to profitability in H2, helping the entire group report positive EBIT over the full year.
