MTN subscribers up 12%

Johannesburg, 01 Nov 2007

JSE-listed MTN has increased total subscribers by 12% to 54 million.

The cellular operator posted its subscriber numbers via the Stock Exchange News Service at 2.30pm yesterday, over four hours later than expected.

The Middle East and North Africa regions were MTN`s top growing areas for the quarter ended 30 September, with its subscribers increasing by 36% to 10.9 million.

The West, East and Central Africa region followed with a 9% growth in subscribers to 25.2 million. South East Africa grew by 5% to 18 million subscribers.

Says MTN Group president and CEO Phuthuma Nhleko: "I am pleased with the steady growth of our subscriber base during this last quarter. I am especially pleased at the progress we are making at MTN Irancell. This launched in earnest in January 2007 and has already exceeded 3.7 million subscribers."

Reworking figures

<B>Country figures</B>

MTN subscriber numbers by region. Average revenue per user in brackets.
SA restated: 14m (R146)
SA old reporting: 13.9m (N/A)
Uganda: 2m ($11)
Mascom - Botswana: 750k (N/A)
Rwanda: 576k ($13)
Swaziland: 356k ($18)
Zambia: 194k ($12)
Nigeria: 14.98m ($17)
Ghana: 3.9m ($16)
Cameroon: 2.2m ($14)
Ivory Coast: 2.3m ($13)
Benin: 562k ($11)
Congo: Brazzaville: 279k ($19)
Conakry: 523k ($16)
Liberia: 272k ($20)
Bissau: 176k ($19)
Syria: 2.9m ($21)
Iran: 3.7m ($11)
Yemen: 1.4m ($9)
Sudan: 1.8m ($14)
Afghanistan: 877k ($11)
Cyprus: 106k ($39)

The group has restated its South African subscriber and average revenue per user (ARPU) figures. The new calculations "now reflect MTN`s consolidated SA operation".

The main adjustments in the restatements see the addition of community service SIMs in its prepaid band; the addition of application providers in postpaid; the inclusion of sundry revenue of wholly owned service providers into postpaid ARPU; and the deduction of trade discounts offered by wholly owned service providers into postpaid ARPU.

This restatement has seen its local subscriber numbers increase from 13.9 million subscribers under its old reporting structure to 14 million.

MTN has not provided insight into how this restatement has affected the region`s ARPU.

The company has not responded to several queries as to why the posting of its numbers was delayed yesterday.