September 17 (SeeNews) - Slovenia's largest mobile phone operator Mobitel, a unit of the majority state-owned Telekom Slovenije, reported on Monday a 71.2 million euro ($98.7 million) operating income before depreciation, amortisation and impairment charges (EBITDA) in the first half of 2007, up 6.0% year-on-year.
Mobitel raised its half-year sales by 5.0% on the year to 211.3 million euro, the company’s chief executive officer Klavdij Godnic said in a statement.
At the end of June, the operator had 1,268,462 customers and a market share of 69% in the Alpine country of two million people.
Slovenia's government, which owns 74% of Telekom Slovenije directly and through state investment funds, called a tender for the sale of 49.13% of the company last month.
The Telekom Slovenije group comprises the parent company and nine subsidiaries in Slovenia and abroad. Mobitel is seen as the group's most attractive unit.
In Slovenia Mobitel competes with Si.mobil, majority owned by Telekom Austria.
($ = 0.72 euro)