The MTN Group delivered a sound operational performance for the six months ended June 30 2010, increasing subscribers by 11,4% to 129,2-million.
In its results released on Thursday, it said adjusted headline earnings per share were up 20,6% to 438,6 cents, while an interim dividend of 151 cents per share had been declared.
Various initiatives had gained momentum and had assisted the various operations in maintaining or improving market share, increasing brand awareness and leveraging product offerings in competitive environments.
These projects included continued investment in mobile data solutions, accessibility of 3G handsets and aggressive 3G rollout.
MTN increased data revenues by 46% to R2,9-billion compared with the same period last year;
The company said the formal launch of Mobile Money in Uganda, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Benin and Guinea Bissau had taken place, while other countries were in the process of obtaining regulatory approval.
At June 30, 2010 there were 2,2-million Mobile Money subscribers, with Uganda accounting for more than 43% of the total.
According to MTN, the Soccer World Cup had provided significant opportunity for Africa to showcase its ability to host an event of this scale.
“During the 2010 Fifa World Cup, MTN displayed its ability to meet the high demands, carrying one terabyte [about one trillion bytes] of traffic in locations such as stadiums, airports and fan parks.”
In addition, the group’s customers accounted for about 590-million SMSs and 10-million MMSs in South Africa during the tournament.
MTN said the negative impact of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act on the prepaid subscriber base had now stabilised, with gross additions increasing by 19,7% compared with the second six month period of 2009. — Sapa