Orange bets on new clients to grow business

Kenya: Orange Telkom has earmarked 2015 as the year of growing subscriber numbers and business. The firm's top management says following a positive trend of acquiring more customers this year, the impressive growth is expected to continue in 2015.

Company Chief Executive Vincent Lobry said in Nairobi on Thursday that the telecom firm has placed substantial investment this year and expects sound results next year.

Corporate data

Speaking while receiving 17 vehicles from an independent leasing house, Vehicle and Equipment Leasing Ltd (Vaell), Lobry said his company has recorded impressive results out of investment committed between January and October 2014. "This was a reflection of a strategy that focused on growing the voice mass market offering and solidifying the business' mobile and corporate data position in the market," said Mr Lobry.

At the beginning of the year, the telco invested Sh2.5 billion in the expansion of its third generation (3G) network in the country. A Sh1.4 billion investment was also pumped into replacing copper cabling with fibre infrastructure that saw the telco enhance network reliability and efficiency - leading to growth in market share in the corporate data segment.

The Tujuane Tariff, a mass market voice offering has also played a major role in the company's growth this year. From the company's half-year 2014 results, the 'Did You Know' campaign launched at the beginning of the year contributed to an increase in the number of mobile subscribers by 15.6 per cent, at the end of March 2014, in comparison to the end of March 2013.

"We want Orange to focus on their core mandate which is provision of telecommunication services and pass on other services such as this to other entities, which is their area of expertise," said Vaell Managing Director Mike Mulili.