Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Vodacom’s South African prepaid revenue returns to growth
Vodacom’s South African prepaid revenue returned to growth, rising 1.7% to R13.4-billion in the six months to September 30, 2026.
Its prepaid customer base held at 39.2 million, with 400,000 customers added in the second quarter.
The improvement comes as MTN’s prepaid customer base shrank 6.9% year on year to 27.4 million in the nine months to September.
Growing data use helped Vodacom recover: prepaid data revenue rose 9.7%, and data traffic increased 40.2%.
Voice made up a smaller share of prepaid service revenue than a year earlier, while average prepaid revenue per user rose 3.5% to R59.
The figures show how data is becoming more important to mobile operators as they seek to grow revenue from prepaid customers.
Vodacom plans record South African capital spending of about R12-billion in its 2027 financial year.
Vodacom South Africa’s prepaid mobile customer revenue rose 1.7% to R13.4-billion in the six months to 30 September 2026.
Growth accelerated from 0.4% in the first quarter to 3.1% in the second quarter.
Prepaid data revenue grew 9.7% to R7.9-billion, while data traffic rose 40.2%.
Vodacom’s prepaid customer base held steady at 39.2 million, with 400,000 customers added in the quarter.
The company said the second-quarter acceleration included a one-off benefit from content services.
- Who
- Vodacom South Africa.
- What
- Prepaid mobile customer revenue returned to growth, rising 1.7% to R13.4-billion.
- When
- In the six months to 30 September 2026; results were reported on Tuesday.
- Where
- South Africa.
- Why
- Data is driving the recovery. Vodacom said the second-quarter acceleration also included a one-off benefit from content services.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Vodacom South Africa’s prepaid mobile customer revenue rose 1.7% to R13.4-billion.
Prepaid revenue growth was 0.4%.
Prepaid revenue growth accelerated to 3.1%, including a one-off benefit from content services.
Vodacom reported its interim results.
- Prepaid revenue
- R13.4-billion, up 1.7%
- Prepaid customers
- 39.2 million
- Prepaid data revenue
- R7.9-billion, up 9.7%
- Data traffic
- Up 40.2%
- Prepaid ARPU
- R59, up 3.5%
What people are saying
commitment to return prepaid to growth