“There are years that leave their mark more than others and 2020 is certainly one of those. The Iliad group has resisted Covid well and has rediscovered the path of growth in France": with these words Thomas Reynaud, CEO of Iliad, commented on the 2020 financial year, in which French telecom group defended net profit, which however fell by 75% compared to 2019, from 1,7 billion to 420 million euros. Consolidated turnover was 5,87 billion, up 10,1%, and Ebitda 1,95 billion (+18,4%). "The net result - explains Iliad - is logically down compared to 2019 which had benefited from very significant non-recurring elements, such as the capital gains from the sale of infrastructure to Cellnex". At the general meeting will be proposed a increase of the dividend to 3 euro from the previous 2,6 euros.
The transalpine group underlines that it has achieved, in the year of Covid, "a commercial rebound and a return to growth in France, and a solid commercial performance in Italy” and that it is currently, after landing also in Poland, “the sixth European mobile telephony operator”, serving 42,7 million subscribers. On the Italian market, in fact, the business defended itself well: if Ebitda decreased by another 133 million euros, decreasing by 47,2% compared to the 253 million loss in 2019, revenues increased by 58% to 674 million and the number of subscribers during the year it grew by almost 2 million to a total of 7,24 million. Today Iliad has established itself in Italy with a market share that has reached 9%.
Again with regard to the Italian market, Iliad announced that it had "largely exceeded the network deployment target", which was 5.000 sites at the end of 2020 and ended the year with 6.100 active sites, with a growth of 4.000 sites active in 12 months. Investments in Italy amounted to 512 million, up 37,8%. Iliad confirms the goal of landing in the fixed line in Italy before the summer of 2021 and sets the deployment of 8.500 active sites at the end of 2021 as a new target.
"2020 was also the year of a change in size for Iliad which from now on establishes itself as a European telecom group with the success of Iliad Italia and the acquisition of Play in Poland", commented Reynaud, mentioned in a note, in which he also underlines the "commitment on employment and the environment" that marked the exercise. The group states that it has created 600 net jobs during 2020, excluding Poland.
In France, its main market, Iliad recorded an increase in turnover of 1,9% to 5 billion, for 2,7 billion (+2,1%) in the fixed line), for 2,1 billion (+3,6%) in the mobile and for 194 million in plants (-15%). Ebitda on the domestic market is up 6% to 2,202 billion and the group has achieved the objective of an operating cash flow in excess of 700 million excluding B2B with 736 million. Subscribers increased overall by 325 thousand to 20,1 million, 13,3 million in mobile telephony (+63 thousand) and 6,7 million in fiber (+262 thousand).
In Poland, which has been integrated into the accounts since November 18, 2020, the turnover is 200 million euros and the Ebitda amounts to 70 million. There are 15,4 million registered subscribers (+137 thousand) and 12,3 million are active (12,2 million in the mobile sector and 126 thousand in the 'home' segment).
Iliad's accounts are convincing investors on the Paris Stock Exchange: at the opening of the session, the title of the tlc is among the best of the CAC40, with a gain exceeding 4% in the 160 euro per share area.
