Deutsche Telekom saw a 2.2 per cent rise in Q2 revenue, pushed higher by the ever reliable T-Mobile US.

Group revenue rose to €17.8 billion, with T-Mobile US contributing €8.2 billion, or 46 per cent of the total. Revenue from the US operation grew impressively by 10.1 per cent since the year-ago quarter.

T-Mobile US won 1.9 million new customers in the second quarter, the thirteenth quarter in succession with more than one million customer additions. Its parent attributed the creditable performance to the speed on its 4G network, value for money and its distinctive “Un-carrier” initiatives.

Deutsche Telekom had been wanting to sell its majority stake in T-Mobile US for some years, although that process appeared to end following a failed courtship with Sprint. With T-Mobile US now providing the growth driver, this seems to have worked out for the best.

The strong contribution from the US masked a lacklustre effort from Deutsche Telekom in its domestic market. During the second quarter, it added 495,000 new mobile customers. Mobile service revenue declined slightly by 0.8 percent to €1.7 billion.

German revenue was hit by two factors — an enforced reduction in roaming rates as well as the discounts available under its popular MagentaEINS bundled rate plan.

The success of the MagentaEINS plan continued in Q2 2016. The number of customers increased by another 250,000 to reach 2.5 million – around twice as many as in the middle of 2015.

The revenue effect of MagentaEINS, which is positive overall the company said, can be seen in the steady growth in additional revenue per household compared with customers not benefiting from such bundled offerings.

Even after deducting the discount from mobile communications, MagentaEINS households generated additional revenue on average of around €8.20 per month through upselling and add-ons, compared with the revenue generated previously, the operator said.

However, total revenue from Germany fell by 3.1 per cent to €5.40 billion.

Back to the group level, net profit was €621 million, down 12.8 per cent from the year ago period.

The decline was partly explained by higher depreciation and amortization charges compared with the prior-year quarter, mainly as a result of the further roll-out of the 4G network and the terminal equipment lease model called Jump!On Demand launched by T-Mobile US in June 2015.