Investor pressure over MTN returns

MOBILE operator MTN Group said yesterday investors were concerned with lower returns and revenue growth, despite a boom in data traffic.

Africa’s biggest telecoms firm, which set aside us apart from other networks, and that actually drives customers to choose us over other networks.”

MTN executives told MPs a similar story, saying their call and data costs had been cut by 58% over the last few years.

MPs were, however, not convinced. EFF MP Fana Mokoena accused the mobile operators of pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

“The tariffs are too expensive. I know for a fact I would rather be in Tanzania, where Vodacom has operations, than in South Africa. We know that Vodacom has the most extensive tariffs in the country,” he R11.7 billion for capital expenditure in 2016, said further significant investment was required to deal with higher data traffic, as a result of spectrum constraints in the mature market. – Reuters said. “It is wrong that for a middle-class person who has a contract, who can afford, that you giving them lesser tariffs... than the guy who doesn’t have a job, you costing them more.”

The Right2Know Campaign (R2K) also presented to MPs, calling on them to intervene to ensure that the poor, especially in rural areas who have to stay in contact with breadwinners working in the cities, had access to affordable call and data services.

“I’m asking you to enable poor people in this country not to choose between eating and making a phone call to find out how their loved ones