VILNIUS — The recession and the unemployment and wage cuts it’s brought have forced many Lithuanians to cut back on expenditures, but one thing they haven’t reduced is their mobile phone chatter.

Lithuania’s mobile phone companies have remained steadily profitable throughout the crisis, and the latest figures from Omnitel and Tele2 only underpin this trend. However, profits this year are [private_supervisor]markedly down from the same period in 2009.

TeliaSonera, the parent company of Omnitel posted a 288 million litai (€54 million) profit for the first half of 2010, down 22 percent from earnings during the first half of last year. It’s a similar story at Tele2, which saw a 42 million litai (€12 million) profit in the first half of 2010, about 16 percent lower than the corresponding period of 2009.

Both companies said the lower profits were not from a drop in demand, though, but rather other factors.

Omnitel pointed to the new anti-roaming regulations from the European Union as pulling down their profits as customers traveling in the EU paid less in roaming fees.

“The decreased revenue from international roaming … resulted in this,” Daiva Selickaitė, an Omnitel spokeswoman told the Verslo Žinios business newspaper.

Tele2 said that the market was stabilizing after the competing mobile companies had engaged in a price war, which the company said had decreased profits.

“Prices have declined considerably, and I think they may continue to fall. Last year, rates during peak usage hours were 15 centi, but now they are at 3 centi,” Mindaugas Ubartas, Tele2 sales and marketing directory told Verslo Žinios.

BITĖ’s results from the first half of this year have not been released yet. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]markedly down from the same period in 2009.

TeliaSonera, the parent company of Omnitel posted a 288 million litai (€54 million) profit for the first half of 2010, down 22 percent from earnings during the first half of last year. It’s a similar story at Tele2, which saw a 42 million litai (€12 million) profit in the first half of 2010, about 16 percent lower than the corresponding period of 2009.

Both companies said the lower profits were not from a drop in demand, though, but rather other factors.

Omnitel pointed to the new anti-roaming regulations from the European Union as pulling down their profits as customers traveling in the EU paid less in roaming fees.

“The decreased revenue from international roaming … resulted in this,” Daiva Selickaitė, an Omnitel spokeswoman told the Verslo Žinios business newspaper.

Tele2 said that the market was stabilizing after the competing mobile companies had engaged in a price war, which the company said had decreased profits.

“Prices have declined considerably, and I think they may continue to fall. Last year, rates during peak usage hours were 15 centi, but now they are at 3 centi,” Mindaugas Ubartas, Tele2 sales and marketing directory told Verslo Žinios.

BITĖ’s results from the first half of this year have not been released yet. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]markedly down from the same period in 2009.

TeliaSonera, the parent company of Omnitel posted a 288 million litai (€54 million) profit for the first half of 2010, down 22 percent from earnings during the first half of last year. It’s a similar story at Tele2, which saw a 42 million litai (€12 million) profit in the first half of 2010, about 16 percent lower than the corresponding period of 2009.

Both companies said the lower profits were not from a drop in demand, though, but rather other factors.

Omnitel pointed to the new anti-roaming regulations from the European Union as pulling down their profits as customers traveling in the EU paid less in roaming fees.

“The decreased revenue from international roaming … resulted in this,” Daiva Selickaitė, an Omnitel spokeswoman told the Verslo Žinios business newspaper.

Tele2 said that the market was stabilizing after the competing mobile companies had engaged in a price war, which the company said had decreased profits.

“Prices have declined considerably, and I think they may continue to fall. Last year, rates during peak usage hours were 15 centi, but now they are at 3 centi,” Mindaugas Ubartas, Tele2 sales and marketing directory told Verslo Žinios.

BITĖ’s results from the first half of this year have not been released yet. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]markedly down from the same period in 2009.

TeliaSonera, the parent company of Omnitel posted a 288 million litai (€54 million) profit for the first half of 2010, down 22 percent from earnings during the first half of last year. It’s a similar story at Tele2, which saw a 42 million litai (€12 million) profit in the first half of 2010, about 16 percent lower than the corresponding period of 2009.

Both companies said the lower profits were not from a drop in demand, though, but rather other factors.

Omnitel pointed to the new anti-roaming regulations from the European Union as pulling down their profits as customers traveling in the EU paid less in roaming fees.

“The decreased revenue from international roaming … resulted in this,” Daiva Selickaitė, an Omnitel spokeswoman told the Verslo Žinios business newspaper.

Tele2 said that the market was stabilizing after the competing mobile companies had engaged in a price war, which the company said had decreased profits.

“Prices have declined considerably, and I think they may continue to fall. Last year, rates during peak usage hours were 15 centi, but now they are at 3 centi,” Mindaugas Ubartas, Tele2 sales and marketing directory told Verslo Žinios.

BITĖ’s results from the first half of this year have not been released yet. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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