A Safaricom customer care centre. Safaricom lost a further percentage
point of subscriber market share in the period to the end of December.
PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION
Kenya’s biggest telecoms operator Safaricom lost a further
percentage point of subscriber market share in the period to the end of
December, its fifth straight quarterly fall, data from the sector
regulator showed on Tuesday.
The firm, part-owned by
South Africa’s Vodacom and Britain’s Vodafone, shed 0.9 percentage
points of subscriber market share to 63.3 percent, compared with 71.9
percent in September 2017 when the losing streak started.
Safaricom, which is in a closed period ahead of full year results on May 2, did not comment on the latest figures.
The
company began to lose market share after opposition leader Raila Odinga
called for consumers to boycott Safaricom, accusing it of playing a
role in an August 2017 presidential vote whose outcome he successfully
challenged in court.
The losses have been sustained by
an aggressive hunt for subscribers by the local unit of India’s Bharti
Airtel, which is the second biggest operator in the country.
Airtel Kenya’s subscriber market share jumped to 23.4 percent at the end of December, from 14.9 percent in September 2017.
Airtel said in February it had agreed to merge with number three operator Telkom Kenya, adding to the pressure on Safaricom.
Investors
have shrugged off the developments however, with Safaricom’s shares
rising 22 percent this year to trade at 28.25 shillings ($0.2804).
According
to regulator data in 2015, Safaricom had enjoyed the lion’s share of
revenue, with more than 90 percent in key categories such as voice
calls. The latest revenue data was not available.
Both
Safaricom and Airtel have been increasing their quarterly user numbers
but Airtel has reported faster growth in subscribers.
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