Vodacom Tanzania announces 130,000 GSM customers

BUCHAREST, Romania—According to the Tanzanian newspaper Business Day, the Tanzanian cellular operator Vodacom announced that after one year, 130,000 subscribers have been signed up to GSM services rather than the 15,000 that were expected to subscribe.
Growth has proved so rapid that the company should make a profit in the coming year, said Idris Rashid. Although, the venture will cost US$200 million during the first five years.
“We started from zero last August and we expect 200,000 customers by March next year,” he said.
Rashid stated, “Our prediction is that we will make money from the second year with about 250,000 subscribers.”
Vodacom was the fourth network to launch in Tanzania, and quickly gained more customers than all three rivals put together.
For the moment, Vodacom has the head start in Tanzania, where its network is about 70-percent complete.
“It has been easy, but it is going to be more competitive and that is good for the business and good for us,” said Rashid.