VODACOM saw a dip in the pace at which new customers are joining its network in SA, with 958000 signing up in the past three months against 1,5-million just before Christmas a year ago.<\/p>\n
The cellular operator is seeing slower growth abroad, adding 519<\/p>\n
Vodacom is now serving 33 million people, up 4,7% since September, as it connected 4,8 million new users.<\/p>\n
But that growth is offset by their constant hopping between rival networks, so overall its user base rose by just 600000 from 31,6-million in September.<\/p>\n
On home turf, it now serves 24,2-million users, but its rate of growth fell to 4,1% from 7,3% a year ago.<\/p>\n
Yet it remains well ahead of MTN, which claims 14-million users in SA, meaning Vodacom has an estimated 55,6% of South African users. MTN outstrips Vodacom overall, however, with 55-million customers throughout Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Chief financial officer Leon Crouse blamed stiff competition for slower third-quarter subscriber growth in the third quarter. But for the year so far its customers rose 33% in Tanzania and 40% in the Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique. Those markets had not slowed down materially or at all. Revenue for the nine months to December 31 hit R35,7bn, up 17,3% on the first nine months of its previous financial year.<\/p>\n
Its average customer in SA now spends R123 a month, up from R118 in the previous quarter. That shows Vodacom is bucking the trend for the average spending to wither as poorer customers sign up.<\/p>\n
What shored up that figure was a move to axe 2,9-million inactive users. Shedding those customers from its database led to a higher average spend for the remaining customers.<\/p>\n