TalkTalk signs up 42,000 new customers in its first quarter

TalkTalk, the broadband provider, published its first update as an independent company yesterday, saying that it had added 42,000 new customers in the first quarter of the year.

The company said that it would concentrate on adding more broadband customers after reporting that revenues in the first three months of the year jumped by 21.7 per cent to £1.69bn. The statement comes after TalkTalk split from its former retail partner the Carphone Warehouse in March, and 10 months after it bought the broadband group Tiscali.

The group's chairman, Charles Dunstone, said: "This year, we will focus on two main priorities for the business: maintaining our momentum in the broadband market through continuing to grow TalkTalk's broadband base and [average revenue per user]; and completing our 'one company' integration programme, migrating customers on to our expanded network footprint and on to core customer management and billing systems."

The group conceded that it had lost a number of customers due to changes in pricing structure, but that it was now the fastest-growing internet service provider in the country. Mr Dunstone said that his priority was to add between 140,000 and 180,000 new customers over the coming 12 months.

TalkTalk's broadband service is available to up to 90 per cent of the country, the group said yesterday. Its proposition remains its fixed £6.99-a-month price for a 24Mb internet connection, and its free evening and weekend telephone calls.

Rivals such as Sky, BT and Virgin Media have been looking to attract customers by offering high-spec deals such as faster broadband or premium television packages. TalkTalk has preferred not to compete, sticking instead to its lower-cost internet access. It said that its customers typically viewed television through freeview rather than pay-per-view channels.

The company said that the group was "signed up" to Project Canvas, a BBC-led programme that is set to launch a web-connected television box next year.