Vodafone profit up 56.5 pc, lifts forecast

LONDON: British mobile phone giant Vodafone said on Tuesday that first-half net profits soared by 56.5 per cent and raised its annual earnings forecast, adding it hyad agreed to sell SoftBank interests for 3.1 billion pounds.

Earnings after tax soared by 56.5 per cent to 7.542 billion pounds (8.764 billion euros, 12.15 billion dollars) in the six months to September, compared with the outcome in the same part of 2009.

The group also raised its annual guidance for operating profit, saying it expected to earn between 11.8-12.2 billion pounds in its 2010/2011 financial year.