LONDON-London-based telecommunication companies are riding the wave of increased demand for wireless communications with three companies reporting strong growth in new mobile phone customers during the fourth quarter of 1999.
Vodafone AirTouch plc announced it received a record 3.98 million new customers in the fourth quarter, bringing the company’s worldwide base to more than 35.5 million. Vodafone reported almost 2 million new subscribers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; just more than 1 million in the United Kingdom; and just less than 1 million in the United States/Asia Pacific region.
British Telecommunications plc announced its mobile division, BT Cellnet, signed up just more than 1 million new mobile phone customers in the fourth quarter, an increase of 343,000 from the same period in 1998. For the year, BT Cellnet increased its customer base by 2.9 million to just less than 7 million total mobile phone customers.
Britain’s third-largest mobile phone operator, Orange plc, said it gained 1.4 million new customers in the last quarter, including 856,000 in December.
Orange announced it had 4.9 million total customers at the end of 1999 but surpassed the 5-million mark during the new year.
