STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 3, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- TeliaSonera: Six-month Period
-- Net sales increased to SEK 42,556 million (40,189).
-- Net income totaled SEK 5,985 million (7,116) and earnings per share totaled SEK 1.12 (1.40).
-- Free cash flow increased to SEK 8,315 million (5,785).
Second Quarter
-- Net sales increased 6.5 percent to SEK 21,752 million (20,422).
-- Good development in most operations, but price pressure and migration from fixed to mobile and Internet in Sweden and Finland decreased EBITDA margin to 33.1 percent (35.9).
-- Operating income excl. non-recurring items amounted to SEK 4,385 million (5,063).
-- Strong customer growth year on year:
- 1.2 million new customers in the Nordic and Baltic operations, totaling 22.6 million.
- 1.6 million new customers in Eurasia, totaling 4.6 million, and 13.8 million new customers in the associated companies in Turkey and Russia, totaling 42.6 million.
-- SEK 5,610 million in dividend payment and SEK 10,163 million in share repurchase.
-- TeliaSonera in negotiations to acquire Chess/Sense in Norway.
Important events after the period
-- Cash payment for the repurchased shares was made on July 4.
-- Mr Juho Lipsanen, former President and CEO of Alma Media Oyj in Finland, has been appointed President of TeliaSonera Finland as of October 11, 2005.
-- Mr August Baumann, currently Vice President Finance & Corpo-rate Development in TeliaSonera's Norwegian operator NetCom, has been appointed President of NetCom as of September 1, 2005. Current President Mrs Barbara Thoralfsson is leaving TeliaSonera to work for her family's investment company.