CEE Growth Drives Strong Q1 for A1 Group

In the first quarter of 2026, Austria-based A1 group reported growth in all relevant business segments. Total revenue grew 3.9%, as net income rose by 14.7%.

Strong service revenue growth in Central and Eastern Europe (+11.5%) offsets decline in Austria. Revenue in the period was at €1.37 billion, a 3.9% growth. EBITDA grew 4.6% to €500 million, while EBITDAaL rose by 5.5% to €391 million. Net income was 14.7% better YoY, reaching €144 million.

"Our growth path continues – CEE is our growth engine, whereas we see a difficult environment in Austria. In the first quarter of 2026, total revenues were driven by our strong position in CEE, robust growth in total service revenues of 3.2%, and continued expansion in the ICT segment. The EBITDA increase of 4.6% demonstrates also the effectiveness of our disciplined cost management and transformation initiatives,“ said Alejandro Plater, CEO of A1 Group.

"Service revenues in our international markets grew by 11.5%, offsetting the decline in Austria. In CEE, our fixed business is developing very well, and the rising demand for data and ICT is driving our positive momentum there as well. For 2026, we confirm the guidance for total revenue growth of 2–3% compared to the previous year. CAPEX excluding frequencies and M&A is expected to amount to around €750 million,” added Plater.

"We delivered a very solid first-quarter performance, with net result rising to €144 million, up 14.7%, and free cash flow increasing by more than 50% year-on-year. This reflects both our stronger operating performance and disciplined CAPEX levels,“ said Thomas Arnolder, Deputy CEO.

"Despite a very challenging macroeconomic and competitive environment in Austria, we remain focused on our customers, investing selectively in the market while maintaining strict cost control. Continued progress in our fiber roll-out and growth in value‑added services are supporting this strategy. Subscriber momentum in the Group remains strong, with total mobile customers increasing by 12.5% to 31 million, driven primarily by M2M growth, while demand for broadband, TV, and Internet@home services continues to grow," concluded Arnolder.