Finance
Orange posts Q3 profit beat, raises annual guidance
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Orange's Q3 profit exceeded expectations, prompting a raise in its annual guidance. The company saw growth in fibre and mobile customers.
By Leo Marchandon
(Reuters) -French telecom operator Orange reported quarterly core profit that slightly surpassed market expectations on Thursday, citing rigorous cost control and customer growth, and raised its full-year earnings guidance.
Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation after leases (EBITDAaL) — a common metric used by telecom firms to measure their core profit — rose 3.7% to 3.44 billion euros ($4.01 billion) in the third quarter of the year.
Analysts had forecast a core profit of 3.43 billion euros on average, a company-compiled consensus showed.
Orange also upgraded its full-year guidance. It now expects EBITDAaL growth of at least 3.5%, versus more than 3% previously.
The company reported an increase in fibre-to-the-home customers to 16 million globally, up from 15.5 million at the end of the prior quarter, while its global mobile customer base grew to 100.4 million from 98.1 million three months ago.
Chief Financial Officer Laurent Martinez stated during a call with reporters that Orange's strong balance sheet enables it to pursue acquisition opportunities in France and Spain.
The operator has submitted a bid for the remaining 50% stake in Spanish operator MasOrange, and a 17-billion-euro joint offer with Bouygues and Iliad's Free for SFR in France.
Martinez noted that SFR-owner Altice France's rejection of the bid for most of its assets was anticipated, but the consortium remains committed to pursuing the offer.
Quarterly revenue in France, Orange's core market, declined 3.7% year-on-year despite reaching the milestone of 10 million fibre customers. The decrease comes from an expected 9% drop in revenue from other operators using Orange's infrastructure, reflecting decommissioning of copper lines, the company said.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Matt Scuffham)
EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a financial metric used to evaluate a company's operating performance and profitability.
Core profit refers to the earnings generated from a company's primary business operations, excluding any income from non-operational activities or one-time events.
Customer growth refers to the increase in the number of customers a company has over a specific period, indicating the company's ability to attract and retain clients.
An acquisition opportunity refers to a potential chance for a company to purchase another business or its assets, often to expand its market presence or enhance its capabilities.
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