Govt counts on telecoms for growth

[Sneeky]

Shoks Mzolo
Fri, 09 Sep 2005

"The Minister (of Communications Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri) will issue directives this year aimed at ensuring a more competitive environment.

The rulers have meanwhile failed to rein in tariffs and promote universal access.

During the five-year period ended 2004, the fixed-line tariffs more than doubled while mobile costs surged by more than 50 percent, Link Centre at Wits said in a report. The costs for cellular services rose despite mobile penetration reaching 50 percent from 30 percent in 1999, but with the regulator's ongoing probe into high mobile tariffs the trend looks set to change.

As an investor, the state's interest is also to get the SNO operational soon. The long delays have thus far seen state-held Eskom and Transnet writing off in excess of a billion rand in relation to the expenditure in the yet-to-be licenced operator.

http://business.iafrica.com/economy/483523.htm

A very good read

 

[Silent_Bob]

yeah it is a good read!

 

[Sneeky]

During the five-year period ended 2004, the fixed-line tariffs more than doubled while mobile costs surged by more than 50 percent

Appears as if their fixed line tarrifs and their profit goes almost hand in hand, cut some of the workforce and madbob's your uncle.

Profit after tax:
2000: R1,540 billion
2001: R1,690 billion
2002: R1,280 billion
2003: R1,735 billion
2004: R4,592 billion (Equates to R12.58m profit per day)

 

[RVFmal]

Quite simply, the profits have increased due to the huge strides that they have made in getting new clients on board. Increasing tarriffs have also played a part, but they are more concerned about their shareholders than the client.

 

[Slinky511nx7]

Profit after tax:
2000: R1,540 billion
2001: R1,690 billion
2002: R1,280 billion
2003: R1,735 billion
2004: R4,592 billion

Are those figures correct, cause if I'm not mistaken R4,592 billion = R4,5 trillion. Does'nt sound realistic to me...

 

[Sneeky]

Taken from Hellkom site and they are correct, just replace the comma with a .

 

[Slinky511nx7]

Ah...you see. Wrong formatting can make a big diff.

 

[werner]

actually, (trying to remeber standard 2 maths here) I was taught that in s.a. a comma is the equivalent of the american period (from a mathematical point of view)

so, the "proudly south african" way of writing four and a half billion is R4,5bn, whereas in america it would be R4.5bn

so, the totals on helkoms site read correct for me

Does anybody remember this particular lesson? or was I dreaming it up?

 

[mbs]

actually, (trying to remeber standard 2 maths here) I was taught that in s.a. a comma is the equivalent of the american period (from a mathematical point of view)

so, the "proudly south african" way of writing four and a half billion is R4,5bn, whereas in america it would be R4.5bn

so, the totals on helkoms site read correct for me

Does anybody remember this particular lesson? or was I dreaming it up?

You're not dreaming. The problem with comma usage is that it causes precisely the kind of confusion recorded in this thread. As with language and changing idiom, methinx comma usage will eventually disappear in favour of the point to reflect decimal fractions, with the comma being used as a cubed separator - thanx to the ubiquitous use of default Excel formatting, I suppose...

 

[nOhIwAy]

Quite simply, the profits have increased due to the huge strides that they have made in getting new clients on board. Increasing tarriffs have also played a part, but they are more concerned about their shareholders than the client.

Err, afaik the number of fixed line subscribers is dropping.

Also the number of default subscribers is increasing.

During the last 5 years or so about 80% of "some 3m new subscribers" in the poorer areas have defaulted and cannot even afford the line rental.

Telkom's major source of income is from variable rate voice and data services.

Telkom have only made huge strides into our pockets due to their monopolistic
pricing structures and because they can.

Their shareholders will only remain loyal as long as the law protects them, which it still does, in spite of the SNO.