Vodacom releases quarterly results, notes robust data demand

Vodacom, partly owned by Vodafone, which is one of the world’s largest mobile communications companies by revenue, is required to publicise its financial results as it is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
Among the positive highlights for the telecommunications company was some significant growth in South Africa, which saw the amount of smartphones in use up by approximately 40 percent and customers increased by 29.1 percent to 31.0 million.
The company saw group data revenue grow by 16.6 percent and with the data customer base growing by 43.3 percent to 15.7 million customers.
The outgoing Group Chief Executive, Pieter Uys, said: “Overall this was a good quarter with a particularly strong performance from our International operations supporting Group service revenue growth of 8.7 percent. The connectivity revolution is well underway with close to 16 million customers actively using data, up 43 percent from the prior year.”
Some highlights from the results include:

Group service revenue growth boosted by performance in key growth areas
* Group service revenue growth up 8.7percent (5.7 percent*);
* Group revenue up 9.3 percent (6.5%*);
* Customers1 up 29.2 percent, to 50.0 million.
Robust data demand
* Group data revenue up 16.6 percent;
* Data revenue contributing 15.4 percent to service revenue;
* Group active data customers grew 43.3 percent to 15.7 million.
Continued growth in South Africa
* Service revenue up 1.8 percent (4.6 percent excluding the impact of mobile termination rates)
* Customers1 increased by 29.1percent to 31.0 million;
* Active smartphones up 40.9 percent;
* Continued investment in network leadership.
International driving growth
* Contribution to Group service revenue increased to 20.5 percent;
* Service revenue up 46.7percent (23.4percent*);
* Customers1 up 29.4percent to 19.0 million;
* Active M-Pesa customers in Tanzania increased to 3.6 million, up 120.7percent.