TP rings in the changes

Telekomunikacja Polska (TP), the largest fixed-line telephony operator in Poland, saw its revenues decrease slightly to zł.18.342 billion in 2005, from zł.18.530 billion a year earlier. The company's profits edged up by 0.4 percent to zł.2.32 billion last year.

It expects revenues in 2006 to continue to fall. "Our revenue will decline by 1-1.5 percent, which will be due to the declining performance of fixed-line voice services," deputy chief executive Alain Carlotti said.

The financial results would have been worse if it wasn't for the performance of TP's mobile arm Centertel. Its sales jumped by 14 percent last year and profits increased by 29 percent. Revenues from data-transmission services also grew by over 15 percent.

The company's strategy focuses on developing new sources of revenue while maintaining profitability. New products will be based on internet protocol and will focus on data transmission. TP executives announced that the group is considering acquisitions in the region. "We are primarily focused on telecom companies, but in the enterprise segment we could be interested in some IT groups," Carlotti said.