
Sustained customer growth
Sunrise continued its customer growth in the 2024 financial year. In the mobile postpaid1 segment, net growth amounted to around +6.0% with +159,000 RGUs (revenue generating units). In the broadband Internet1 segment, net growth was around +2.4% with +31,000 RGUs. The proportion of broadband customers who also used a Sunrise mobile postpaid offer continued to display a positive trend. The fixed-mobile convergence rate (FMC7) rose by 1.4 percentage points year-on-year to 57.1%.
In the final quarter, net growth of +59,000 mobile postpaid1 RGUs was recorded, including a one-off effect from the business customer segment (+26,000), which corresponds to adjusted growth of around +33,000 RGUs. In the Internet segment1, Sunrise remained on course to grow for the fifth quarter in succession with net +10,000 Internet RGUs.
Growth was supported by increased customer loyalty. Churn was reduced by over 10% compared to the previous year. As of 31 December 2024, Sunrise had around 3.13 million mobile, 1.32 million broadband Internet and 1.0 million enhanced TV RGUs.
Innovations promote growth
Over the course of the 2024 financial year, a revamped youth offering, online-only offerings, additional services for Internet security and high-profile advertising campaigns featuring Roger Federer and Marco Odermatt supported the momentum of customer growth.
The innovative Device-as-a-Service offerings Smart Upgrade and Flex Upgrade make smartphones more affordable with monthly payments and offer maximum flexibility with trade-in and repair options. They supported commercial performance in the fourth quarter: device sales were more than +7% higher YoY, bucking the industry trend. Smart Upgrade and Flex Upgrade accounted for more than 65% of mobile phone sales.
In November 2024, Sunrise also launched the Sunrise TV Shop as an integral part of the TV offering. It provides a very simple way to purchase and flexibly manage any streaming services integrated on Sunrise TV. Sunrise has doubled the number of over-the-top (OTT) partnerships. Advertising campaigns with Disney+ and Netflix are strengthening the position of Sunrise TV as a central platform for all entertainment needs, which helps to boost customer loyalty. The exclusive oneplus Sunrise Edition, which now also offers Paramount+ content, is also part of the Sunrise TV Shop.
Financial result as expected – annual targets for 2024 achieved
In the 2024 financial year, revenue declined slightly (-0.6% YoY) and totalled CHF 3,018.0 million. As expected, it was influenced by the ongoing price harmonisation in the customer base and the absence of the effect of the price increase in the second half of the year. In the residential customer segment, there was a decline in revenue of -3.3% YoY, which was largely offset by revenue growth of +6.9% YoY in the business and wholesale segment. In the fourth quarter of 2024, revenue recorded a moderate decline of -1.3% YoY and reached CHF 784.7 million.
Adjusted EBITDAaL2 grew slightly by +0.7% YoY to CHF 1,029.9 million in the 2024 financial year thanks to optimised operating costs, lower hardware costs and the phasing out of the effect of «costs to capture». In the fourth quarter, Adj. EBITDAaL2 fell slightly by -0.7% YoY to CHF 249.6 million. The decline in revenue in the residential customer business was also largely offset by cost optimisations. However, the sharp rise in energy, rental, insurance and construction costs, for example, could not be fully offset.
Adjusted EBITDAaL less P&E Additions grew by +7.2% YoY to CHF 520.0 million in the 2024 financial year, supported primarily by lower investments (CAPEX3) and expiring «costs to capture» effects. In the fourth quarter, the same effects resulted in accelerated growth in Adj. EBITDAaL less P&E Additions of +15.0% YoY to CHF 108.2 million.
Sunrise made investments (CAPEX3) totalling CHF 509.9 million (-5.2% YoY) over the 2024 financial year. They thus amounted to 16.9% of annual revenue. In the fourth quarter of 2024, investments totalled CHF 141.4 million (-10.1% YoY).
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