The numbers are not that surprising, given that Telkom has said it is decommissioning its copper network countrywide. But the group’s 2020 fixed-line performance still makes for sobering reading.
Telkom’s 2020 financial results, for the 12 months ended 31 March 2020, show fixed-line revenue fell by 13.5% year on year to R8.2-billion.
Fixed usage cratered by 22% to just R3-billion, while fixed subscription revenue fell by 21.2% to R5.2-billion. Interconnection fees from other operators tanked by a third to R537-million.
Fixed broadband subscribers (including fibre-to-the-home connections), declined by 19% to 686 525.
These poor numbers come despite an increase in Telkom’s home fibre broadband connections.
Fixed home fibre broadband subscribers rose by 5.8% year on year to about 220 000. Telkom said the attachment rate — the percentage of people who take up the company’s fibre offering when it’s available to them — has risen to 48%.
Telkom’s bacon was saved in the 2020 financial year to a large extent by mobile. Mobile revenue grew by 40.9% year on year. Of that, mobile voice and subscriptions climbed by 78.6% to R3.5-billion. Mobile data revenue rose by 46.3% to R8.7-billion.
Mobile subscriptions
During that same period, number of mobile broadband subscribers climbed by 28% to 8.2 million. Total mobile subscribers climbed by 23.9% to 12 million.
Telkom’s group revenue for 2020 came in at R43-billion, up 3% on last year. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell by 8.7% to R10.3-billion. — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media