Vodacom reports positive results

Vodacom of South Africa has reported its end-December 2006 operating results, with its domestic customer base increasing 7.8% in the final three months of the year to 21.8 million. Vodacom, which now claims 58% of the South African mobile market, says that its average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) rose from ZAR124 to ZAR127 (USD17.15 to USD17.57). Outside South Africa Vodacom has interests in operators in Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho and Democratic Republic of Congo; these claimed 6.4 million subscribers between them at end-2006, up 15.7% over the quarter. Vodacom is owned by Telkom South Africa and Vodafone.