Vodacom Group (Proprietary) Limited ("Vodacom" or "Vodacom Group") (unlisted), in which Telkom has a 50.0% holding, today announced a quarterly update for the three months ended June 30, 2006. As at June 30, 2006, Vodacom Group recorded 25.2 million customers across its networks operating in South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique, reflecting a 7.3% increase in the three months since March 31, 2006. The growth in the customer base is a result of high gross customer connections of 3.5 million for the quarter. The Group's other non South African operations comprised 4.9 million customers, or 19.3% of the total customer base.
South Africa
South Africa includes the operations of Vodacom South Africa, Smartphone SP (Pty) Limited, Smartcom (Pty) Limited and Cointel VAS (Pty) Limited.
South Africa increased its customer base by 6.4% since March 31, 2006 to 20.4 million customers in an increasingly competitive market. South Africa's customer base comprises 2.5 million contract customers and 17.8 million prepaid customers, reflecting increases of 5.3% and 6.3% since March 31, 2006, respectively. South African ARPU declined to R121 per month for the three months to June 30, 2006, compared to R139 per month for the twelve months which ended March 31, 2006.
South Africa defines an active customer as a SIM card that had a revenue generating activity in the three months leading up to the reporting date. Up to mid June 2006 calls forwarded to voicemail was regarded as a revenue generating activity, and such SIM cards classified as active customers. An analysis of the customer base, based on statistical sampling, has revealed that a material number of SIM cards have calls forwarded to voicemail as its only revenue generating activity. The majority of such messages are never retrieved by the customer. It is estimated that these SIM cards have an ARPU of less that R1 per month which is below the cost of maintaining such SIM cards on the network. It is therefore not justifiable to keep such SIM cards on the network.
South Africa has therefore decided to change its definition of an active customer to exclude calls forwarded to voicemail from the definition of a revenue generating activity. Such SIM cards would be disconnected from the network after being inactive for a 215 consecutive day period in accordance with the business rules of the company. The retrieval of a voice message by a customer is classified as a revenue generating activity.
Based on statistical analyses it is estimated that approximately 3.5 million affected pre-paid SIM cards, included in the customer base on June 30, 2006, will be deleted by December 31, 2006. It is also expected that normal monthly churn from July 2006 onwards would increase as a result of the activity rule change.
Based on statistical analyses it is estimated that approximately 3.5 million affected pre-paid SIM cards, included in the customer base on June 30, 2006, will be deleted by December 31, 2006. It is also expected that normal monthly churn from July 2006 onwards would increase as a result of the activity rule change.
South Africa customers, year-to-date ARPU and churn as at June 30, 2006 compared to March 31, 2006 are as follows:
South Africa | March 31,2006 | June 30, 2006 | %Change |
Customers (thousands) |
19,162 | 20,380 | 8.4 |
Contracts | 2,362 | 2,488 | 5.3 |
Prepaid | 16,770 | 17,834 | 6.3 |
Community services | 30 | 58 | 93.3 |
ARPU (ZAR) | 139 | 121 | (12.9) |
Contract | 572 | 526 | (8.0) |
Prepaid | 69 | 61 | (11.6) |
Community services | 1,796 | 1.154 | (35.7) |
Churn (%) | 17.7 | 27.6 | (9.9 pts) |
Contract | 10,0 | 10.8 | (0.8 pts) |
Prepaid | 18.8 | 29.9 | (11.1 pts) |
Non South Africa operations
Vodacom's other non South African operations increased their total customer base by 11.6% since March 31, 2006 to 4.9 million customers. Satisfactory customer growth was achieved in all Vodacom's other non South African operations, most notably Mozambique with a 19.2% increase in its customer base.
Vodacom's non-South African operations' customers, year-to-date ARPU, churn and estimated market share as at December 31, 2006 compared to September 30, 2006 are as follows:
Other non South South African operation | September 30,2006 | December 31, 2006 | %Change |
Vodacom Tanzania | |||
Customers (thousands) |
2,091 | 2,289 | 9.5 |
Contracts | 7 | 11 | 57.1 |
Prepaid | 2,081 | 2,275 | 9.3 |
Public Phone | 3 | 3 | - |
ARPU (ZAR) | 67 | 51 | (23.9) |
Churn(%) | 28.5 | 32.9 | 4.4 pts |
Vodacom Congo | |||
Customers (thousands) |
1,571 | 1,788 | 12.5 |
Contracts | 15 | 15 | 7.1 |
Prepaid | 1,538 | 1,730 | 12.5 |
Public Phone | 19 | 23 | 21.1 |
ARPU (ZAR) | 86 | 81 | (5.8) |
Churn(%) | 28.1 | 29.5 | 1.4 pts |
Vodacom Lesetho | |||
Customers (thousands) |
206 | 221 | 7.3 |
Contracts | 3 | 3 | - |
Prepaid | 200 | 215 | 7.5 |
Public Phone | 3 | 3 | - |
ARPU (ZAR) | 78 | 75 | (3.8) |
Churns(%) | 22.3 | 19.6 | (2.7 pts) |
Vodacom Mozambique | |||
Customers (thousands) |
490 | 584 | 19.2 |
Contracts | 11 | 13 | 12.5 |
Prepaid | 682 | 842 | 19.3 |
ARPU (ZAR) | 36 | 26 | (27.8) |
Churns(%) | 32.2 | 28.9 | (3.3 pts) |