Bouygues 1st Half Revenue EUR11.27 Billion Vs EUR10.19 Billion

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- Bouygues SA (12050.FR) said Tuesday its revenue rose 11% in the first half due to strong growth in its telecom and construction businesses.

The French building-to-broadcasting conglomerate said revenue under International Financial Reporting Standards was EUR11.27 billion in the January-to-June period, up from EUR10.19 billion a year earlier.

The revenue figure was above the EUR10.8 billion analysts had forecast.

Bouygues, which owns 83% of France's third largest mobile telecommunications operator, Bouygues Telecom, said the telecom unit's revenue rose 25% to EUR2.19 billion in the first half, up from EUR1.76 billion a year earlier.

Growth at the telecom unit, Bouygues' most profitable division, was boosted by a change in the way it accounts for calls between two mobile phones. Adjusting for this change, growth was 9%, Bouygues said.

Bouygues Construction posted revenue of EUR2.79 billion, up 11% from EUR2.51 billion a year earlier, helped by a solid performance internationally and in its electrical engineering division.

France's top broadcaster, Television Francaise 1 TF1 SA (5490.FR), which is 41.6%-owned by Bouygues, had already reported a 1.7% drop in its first half revenue due to a sluggish advertising market.

Colas SA (12163.FR), Bouygues' road building division, posted first-half revenue of EUR3.93 billion, up 15% from EUR3.41 billion a year earlier, thanks to strong growth in Central Europe.

Like other French companies, Bouygues reports its revenue separately from the rest of its earnings. It is scheduled to report full first half earnings on Sept. 14.

Company Web site: http://www.bouygues.com

-By Greg Keller, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 40 17 17 40; greg.keller@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 9th August 2005