Jordan Telecom Group, the country's sole fixed-line operator, said on Monday its 2008 net profit rose 6.1 per cent to JD100.3 million ($141.5 million) due to booming Internet services business.

The group, in which France Telecom owns a 51 per cent stake, said revenues for its integrated mobile, Internet and fixed-line business rose 0.9 percent to JD401.4 million ($566 million) in 2008 from JD397.9 million the previous year.

Internet revenue last year rose 52.9 percent to JD21.1 million against the previous year due to the growth of its subscriber base by 55.6 percent.

The subscriber base of Jordan Telecom Group's mobile unit Orange Mobile grew 2.6 percent in 2008 and revenue rose 3.5 percent to JD180 million against the previous year, with tougher competition.

The group said its overall fixed-line, Internet and data services subscriber base grew 3.4 per cent in 2008 to JD2.52 million, with slower growth due to a weaker economy.

The group's fast growing data services business would offset the marginal growth in fixed lines which rose 0.5 per cent to 663,000 lines, it said.

Fixed line revenues fell 4.7 per cent in 2008 to a total of JD200.3 million dinars against JD210.2 million the previous year.-Reuters