Revenue from data is continuing to climb for Vodacom, comprising 9.4% of its service revenue for the 2006/07 financial year, compared to 7% the year before.
The group, which today released its results for the year ended 30 June, says a combination of tariff reductions and increased uptake by consumers and companies of data services contributed to this uptake.
No figure was given for data service revenue, but Vodacom says service revenue excludes equipment sales, starter pack sales and non-recurring revenue.
According to Vodacom, at 31 March: SMS messages increased by a billion, to 4.5 billion, in the 2006/07 financial year; MMSes sent rose to 1.2 million, from 867 000; GPRS users rose to 2.8 million, from 1.4 million; Vodafone Live users climbed to 899 000, from 351 000; and unique mobile TV users jumped to 33 000 users, from 13 000.
Speaking at the launch of a GSM-based digital signage board system last night, Vodacom Western Cape regional manager Anthion Muller said the group had seen "a great increase in the use of data over the network, but that voice still remains the bread-and-butter of revenue".
Muller said more products and services would come onto the market, increasing consumers' and organisations' use of GSM data. He noted that "in a few years' time, data revenue will balance out the reliance on voice".
Sign of the times
Last night, Vodacom publicly showed its support for the MediaTile GSM-networked digital signage board system that is being distributed in SA by Tactile Technologies.
US-based MediaTile has developed the electronic signage boards, which look like a large-screen TV. They have a GSM SIM card and PC board imbedded to be used as interactive media tools for communications and marketing in public spaces.
"The GSM networks have become very robust and are really stable. Far more than other systems such as WiFi and WiMax," said MediaTile CEO and chairman Keith Kelsten.
Muller also pointed out that over the past four years, GSM data rates had fallen considerably to the current rate of about 19c per megabyte, depending on the bundle.
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