Robinhood shares gain on Q2 beat, as user and crypto growth accelerate
Introduction & Market Context
Telia (ST:TELIA) Company presented its Q1 2025 results on April 24, 2025, reporting a solid start to the year with its new country-led operating model delivering according to plan. The Nordic telecom operator highlighted improved financial performance across most markets and announced a strategic agreement to divest its TV & Media business to focus on core operations.
The company’s results demonstrate continued progress on its value creation agenda, with meaningful improvements in profitability and cash flow generation while maintaining its commitment to sustainability through the launch of a climate transition plan targeting net-zero emissions by 2040.
Quarterly Performance Highlights
Telia reported service revenue growth of 1.8% in Q1 2025, supported by strong performance in Sweden, the Baltics, and other operations. Mobile service revenue increased by 0.9%, while fixed service revenue grew by 1.3%. The company noted particularly strong TV revenue growth in Sweden at 15%.
As shown in the following chart of quarterly financial highlights:
Adjusted EBITDA showed significant improvement, increasing by 6.7% compared to Q1 2024, with all units contributing positively except Norway. The company’s change program was cited as a material contributor to this growth. Free cash flow reached SEK 1.7 billion, driven by EBITDA growth and working capital improvements, while leverage continued to decrease with net debt to EBITDA ratio improving to 2.18x from 2.28x in the previous quarter.
The company’s service revenue and EBITDA performance is further illustrated in this chart:
Detailed Financial Analysis
Telia’s operational expenditure (OPEX) showed improvement due to the change program, with additional benefits from energy cost tailwinds and lower bad debt. OPEX as a percentage of service revenue declined to 32.0% compared to 33.6% in Q1 2024. Capital expenditure (CAPEX) continued to trend downward, reflecting improved discipline across most markets, with booked CAPEX at SEK 13.1 billion on a rolling 12-month basis.
The following chart illustrates these OPEX and CAPEX trends:
Free cash flow showed remarkable improvement, increasing by SEK 2.0 billion to reach SEK 1.7 billion in Q1 2025 compared to negative SEK 0.3 billion in Q1 2024. This improvement was driven by multiple factors including higher adjusted EBITDA (up SEK 0.5 billion), lower interest payments (down SEK 0.5 billion), and a significant working capital inflow of SEK 0.6 billion compared to an outflow of SEK 0.6 billion in the same period last year.
The detailed breakdown of free cash flow components is shown here:
Telia’s balance sheet continued to strengthen with net debt decreasing by SEK 1.4 billion to SEK 70.0 billion, supported by solid cash flow generation and positive foreign exchange impacts on issued debt. The leverage ratio improved to 2.18x from 2.28x in Q4 2024.
Strategic Initiatives
Telia reported significant progress on its value creation agenda, highlighting three key strategic developments in Q1 2025:
1. An agreement to divest the TV & Media business, allowing full focus on core operations
2. An agreement to sell its stake in Marshall Group
3. Proceeds of SEK 0.2 billion from the sale of legacy technical real estate
The company also emphasized its active balance sheet management, with reduced net debt, working capital inflow, and stable vendor financing balance at approximately SEK 5.5 billion.
The following chart summarizes Telia’s progress on its value creation agenda:
Country-specific performance varied across Telia’s markets. Sweden showed strong results with consumer revenue up 1.7% driven by fiber, TV products, and pricing activities, while enterprise revenue increased 3.5%. Finland demonstrated improved trends but still faced challenges in consumer mobile. Norway continued to experience pressure, particularly in fixed services, with expected declines in service revenue and EBITDA for the remainder of 2025 due to ICE migration. Lithuania and Estonia delivered solid commercial development across mobile, fixed broadband, TV, and ICT services.
Additionally, Telia highlighted the performance of Telia Towers, its Nordic tower platform spanning three markets, which achieved 8% adjusted EBITDA growth and improved its tenancy ratio to 2.28x.
Forward-Looking Statements
Telia reiterated its 2025 outlook, projecting service revenue growth of approximately 2%, adjusted EBITDA growth exceeding 5%, CAPEX below SEK 14 billion, and free cash flow of approximately SEK 7.5 billion.
Looking further ahead, the company maintained its 2025-2027 financial ambitions, targeting a 2% CAGR for service revenue, 4% CAGR for adjusted EBITDA, CAPEX below SEK 14 billion per year, and free cash flow exceeding SEK 10 billion by 2027.
On the sustainability front, Telia reported progress toward its environmental and social goals, including reaching 62% of suppliers with approved Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) targets, 2.6 million individuals reached through digital inclusion initiatives, and 4% of total phones sold as refurbished in the consumer segment.
The company emphasized its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, with interim targets including 100% renewable electricity in its own operations by 2022 (already achieved), meeting short-term Science Based Targets by 2025, and reducing value chain greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
Full presentation:
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.