Easynet Group plc, the UK-based internet service provider, increased revenues by 185% to 7.06m pounds in the first six months of 1998. It posted a pre-tax loss of 0.49m pounds, slightly improved on the 0.72m pound loss it saw in the first half of 1997. Easynet said the number of corporate customers had increased by 78% to 4,100 at 30 June 1998 from 2,300 a year earlier, while dial-up subscribers rose by 79% to 42,000 from 23,500. The average annual value of a corporate customer rose by 137% to 1,900 pounds during the same period, and corporate customers now account for 70% of total revenues. Easynet is transforming itself into a one-stop shop for voice and data communications, having won an International Facilities License from the UK government for public telecommunications and completed a network interconnection agreement with BT. Since early last month, Easynet’s new telecoms switch at its London headquarters has been in operation, enabling data and voice calls to be routed through and terminated on its own network.
