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BERLIN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - German telecommunications firm
Telefonica Deutschland announced a deal with
international virtual network operator Lebara as it raised its
2021 core profit target on Wednesday thanks to growth in new
customer contracts for its core brand O2.
Lebara, which provides mobile SIM cards with low-cost
international calls, will start using Telefonica Deutschland's
network infrastructure next year, the German company said in a
statement.
Telefonica Deutschland is Germany's No.3 mobile phone
service provider with 45 million existing contracts, compared
with Deutsche Telekom's 50 million and Vodafone's 60
million, according to data from regulator Bundesnetzagentur.
Telefonica Deutschland added another 415,000 contracts in
the third quarter, boosting its full-year prospects, the company
said.
Telefonica Deutschland, which is majority-owned by the
Spanish Telefonica group, said 2021 adjusted operating
profit (OIBDA) would rise in the low mid-single-digit percentage
range, compared to its previous target for a figure slightly
above previous year.
The company said its third-quarter revenues rose around 5%
to 1.97 billion euros ($2.28 billion), above the 1.91 billion
euros expected on average by analysts in a Refinitiv poll.
($1 = 0.8635 euros)
(Reporting by Zuzanna Szymanska; Editing by Miranda Murray and
Maria Sheahan)
Vodafone (VOD)