WIND Mobile hit the 700,000 subscriber mark back in April. Parent company VimpelCom today filed its Q2 FY2014 financial results and shed new light on how WIND Mobile is doing. It now appears that it will soon be celebrating another milestone, that of 750,000 subscribers as VimpelCom’s numbers show that it now has 741,000 subscribers.
WIND Mobile added 38,875 new subscribers in the second quarter. Its ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) rose to CA$31.60, an 11.7% jump over the same quarter a year ago.
VimpelCom, which holds a 65 percent equity in WIND Mobile, has been looking to exit the Canadian market for some time now. It has reportedly valued WIND at US$300 million. A recent report has suggested that U.S.-based Providence Equity Partners may be interested in buying a stake in the carrier. It’s likely that the two companies have at least talked about a deal.
With VimpelCom not willing to make any further investments in WIND Mobile, the carrier will need to find new partners not only to grow its network but also participate in the recently announced AWS-3 spectrum auction. Among these could soon be U.S.-based Providence Equity Partners which is rumoured to be looking to buy a stake in the carrier. Perhaps it will buy VimpelCom’s stake which the latter has valued at US$300 million.
If nothing else, its seemingly ever-growing customer base could make WIND Mobile more attractive to a new investor.
Sources : VimpelCom (PDF) // IT World Canada