Qtel Group reported revenues increased by 16.6 per cent year-on-year for the nine months to the end of September, amounting to QAR 23.6 billion (US$6.48 billion).

Revenues in the third quarter alone were up 16.5 per cent to QAR8.127 billion, while EBITDA for the three months amounted to QAR3.73 billion, up 14.1 per cent year-on-year.

However, net profit attributable to Qtel’s shareholders in Q3 was down 13 per cent to QAR567 million.

The group’s consolidated customer base, as at September 30, 2011 stood at 82.4 million, up 19.4 per cent year-on-year. Group EBITDA for the nine months to end-September was up by 14.6 per cent to QAR 10.9 billion while the operator maintained a stable EBITDA margin for the nine months, standing at 46 per cent, down from 47 per cent a year earlier.

Net profit attributable to Qtel’s shareholders increased by 6.4 per cent when normalised for a one-off favourable decision on the royalty regime in Qatar in 2010. The net profit amount attributable to Qtel shareholders for the nine months to end-September stood at QAR 2.0 billion, up from QAR1.9 billion a year earlier.

Egypt’s Naguib Sawiris has confirmed that he is in discussions with France Telecom regarding a bid for the company’s Swiss subsidiary, Orange Switzerland.

He is currently in talks with other partners to raise the US$2.8 billion needed for the deal.

"I wouldn’t do it alone," Sawiris told Bloomberg News in a telephone interview. "We are looking for partners." Sawiris, the founder of Orascom Telecom Holding, said four bidders have been selected to make offers, with final bids due by the end of the year.

He also confirmed that he has no plans to for any sort of asset swap with France Telecom – which is a co-owner of Mobinil network in Egypt.

Sawiris has also been linked with a possible takeover of Telekom Austria.

Motorola Mobility posted third quarter revenues up by 11 per cent at US$3.3 billion and a net loss of US$32 million, compared to a loss of US$34 million for the same period a year ago.

During the three months, the company shipped 11.6 million mobile devices, including 4.8 million smartphones, and approximately 100,000 Motorola Xoom tablets.

Mobile Devices net revenues in the third quarter were US$2.4 billion, up 20 per cent compared with the year-ago quarter. The operating loss was US$41 million compared to an operating loss of US$43 million in the year-ago quarter.

Home segment net revenues in the third quarter were US$825 million, down 10 per cent compared with the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were US$54 million, compared to US$49 million in the year-ago quarter.

Motorola Solutions today announced its third-quarter 2011 results highlighted by sales of US$2.1 billion, up 10 per cent from the third quarter of 2010 and driven by solid demand in all regions across both its government and enterprise segments.

GAAP operating earnings in Q311 were US$253 million or 12 per cent of sales, compared to US$211 million or 11 per cent of sales in the same quarter the previous year.

Non-GAAP operating earnings in Q311 were US$358 million or 17 per cent of sales, compared to US$289 million or 15 per cent of sales a year earlier.

Government segment sales were US$1.4 billion, up nine per cent from the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were US$185 million or 13 per cent of sales compared to US$159 million or 13 per cent of sales in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings were US$223 million or 16 per cent of sales compared to US$175 million or 14 per cent of sales in the year-ago quarter.

Enterprise segment sales wereUS$726 million, up 13 per cent from the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were US$68 million or nine per cent of sales compared to US$52 million or eight per cent of sales in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings were US$135 million or 19 per cent of sales compared to US$114 million or 18 per cent of sales in the year-ago quarter.

“Our customers continue to invest in solutions that increase revenues and improve operating efficiency,” said Greg Brown, chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions. “In addition to our robust growth this quarter, we returned significant capital to shareholders. We repurchased US$744 million of stock, initiated our dividend and generated very strong operating cash flow.”

Motorola Solutions has raised its expected full-year revenue outlook to approximately seven per cent growth with operating earnings of approximately 16.5 per cent of sales. Fourth-quarter sales are expected to grow between two and three per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2010 and approximately seven per cent compared with the third quarter of 2011.

France Telecom has reported that its third quarter revenues dropped by 2.1 per cent to €11.3 billion (US$16 billion), with all markets showing a decline in revenue, except Spain. That decline chiefly reflected a downturn in mobile device sales from the third quarter a year earlier, when sales were very strong, particularly in France and Belgium.

The restated EBITDA also dropped, by 5.2 per cent to €4 billion, from €4.22 billion a year ago.

The France Telecom-Orange Group had a total of 221 million customers as of end-September, up 6.3 per cent year-on-year on a comparable basis, with almost 13 million net customer additions in one year due to mobile services, principally in Africa and the Middle East.