Telecoms firms ‘bounces back’ after cyber attack

TELECOMS compay TalkTalk has made a strong recovery from the much-publicised cyber attack which blighted the firm in October.

Headline total revenue was up 2.4% to £1.839bn (2015: £1.795bn) with pre-tax profits of  £14m (FY15: £32m) – after exceptional items of £83m (FY15: £46m).

In the Warrington-based company’s preliminary results for the year ended March 31 2016, chief executive Dido Harding said TalkTalk had “bounced back strongly” following the cyber attack.

She said: “We recorded our lowest ever churn and stabilised the broadband base, testimony to the speed with which customer sentiment towards TalkTalk has recovered, the success of our greater focus on existing customers, and the growing benefits of our simplification programme. 

“We reported full year results in line with our guidance and have declared a 15% higher dividend for the year.

“TalkTalk is well positioned to build upon our already strong credentials as the UK’s leading value for money quad-play and B2B operator.

“There has never been a clearer space for a trusted value champion and our learnings from and experience since the cyber attack have helped to focus our plans for the year ahead.
 
“We see strong opportunities for growth across all our products, both for consumers and for businesses, against the backdrop of an increasingly supportive regulatory environment.
 
“As a result we are reiterating our financial guidance for FY17 of £320m-£360m EBITDA.”