2009 revenues dip 3% for Ukrainian communications operators
KYIV. Jan 19 (Interfax) - Ukrainian communications operators saw revenues from services provided fall 3% yr/yr to UAH46.284 billion, the State Statistics Committee announced on Tuesday.
The country's communications consumers purchased services worth a total of UAH18.074 billion last year, 8.1% less than in 2008.
Cellular communications services, the sector's prime revenue-driver over the last decade, brought operators UAH28.456 billion last year, a 3.9% yr/yr drop. Individual consumers cut their expenditures on mobile communications by 17.1% to UAH9.63 billion.
Revenue from city telephone services contracted 13.9% to UAH3.89 billion, from local rural telephone communications 16.8% to UAH270 million.
Revenue from inter-city and international telephone communications amounted to UAH4.65 billion last year, down 15.6%.
But revenue from computer communications services jumped 39.2% to UAH3.36 billion, including a 38% rise in Internet-access services to UAH2.87 billion.
Individual consumers in Ukraine increased their spending on Internet-access services by almost 70% yr/yr to UAH1.58 billion.
Communications services revenue grew 13.2% yr/yr in 2008.
The official exchange rate for January 19: UAH8.0012/$1.