VODAFONE IRELAND continued to grow its customer base in the second quarter, adding 31,700 customers, but saw its average revenue per user (Arpu) decline.

The company now has 2.38 million customers across mobile, fixed line and DSL, with a total of 2.18 million mobile subscribers.

Smartphones continued to be a strong seller for the company, accounting for more than half of bill pay device sales in the quarter. Data revenue also grew strongly, rising 26 per cent year-on-year.

However, the operator’s average blended monthly Arpu fell by 8.9 per cent to €35.40.

More than 373 million minutes of free calls were made by pay as you go customers, while 301 million free texts were sent during the quarter. Meanwhile, more than 1 million customers are now using its Passport roaming service.

Other operators have also seen their Arpu fall, with O2 Ireland recording a fall from €39.55 to €37.14 in the first half of this year.

Elsewhere, Vodafone’s parent group raised its full-year profit outlook and said it had agreed to sell its interests in Japanese carrier SoftBank for £3.1 billion (€3.59 billion). The carrier, which recently sold its stake in China Mobile, said it would continue to dispose of assets it does not control, after some investors complained it was not delivering value.

Vodafone raised its guidance for the fiscal year to end-March, saying it now expected adjusted operating profit of £11.8 to £12.2 billion, versus an earlier forecast of £11.2 to £12 billion, after sales grew faster than expected.

First-half revenue rose 1.8 per cent organically to £22.6 billion as all regions performed well.

“We have also today announced an updated strategy, which positions Vodafone to realise further value from non-controlled assets, (and) take full advantage of the most valuable telecommunications growth opportunities ahead,” chief executive Vittorio Colao said in a statement. (Additional reporting – Reuters)