Nairobi — Kenya’s dominant telecoms operator, Safaricom, predicted strong profit growth in 2018 due to an easing of political tension. It also hit back at mooted regulatory proposals to control data and call prices. The firm, which is 35%-owned by Vodacom, was shaken early in 2017 by a leaked draft study on competition in the sector, which proposed a split of Safaricom into two, due to its large size. The proposal was abandoned in the latest version of the draft study, but chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a said other potentially damaging proposals remained. "These include attempts to change the rules of the game by introducing price controls and regulated infrastructure sharing," he told investors. "We could be heading into an era where success, rightfully earned, through well-structured market strategy, innovation and investment is penalised." Safaricom, in which the Kenyan government and Britain’s Vodafone also have shares, controls 72% of Kenya’s mobile market, with close to 30-million ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.