FRANKFURT, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom reported a 13.5 percent rise in quarterly core profit helped by its U.S. operations.
Second-quarter earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), excluding special items, rose to 5.03 billion euros ($5.49 billion), beating the average forecast of 4.95 billion euros in a Reuters poll.
Deutsche Telekom said on Thursday it still expected 2015 EBITDA, excluding special items, of around 18.3 billion euros at constant currencies and free cash flow of around 4.3 billion euros.
Results were fuelled by T-Mobile US of which Deutsche Telekom owns 65.7 percent. T-Mobile US last week already reported expectations-beating results and raised its forecast for new subscribers in 2015 for the second time this year.
The U.S. wireless operator was the biggest contributor to the group's second-quarter sales and is even bigger than Deutsche Telekom's German business.
($1 = 0.9164 euros) (Reporting by Harro ten Wolde; Editing by Maria Sheahan)