Telkom’s Mobile Subscriber Base Hits Record 23.2 Million, Fueled by Prepaid and Data Boom

Record Subscriber Numbers and What They Mean for Telkom

Telkom, South Africa’s third‑largest mobile operator, posted a striking 13.4% increase in its mobile subscriber base for the financial year that ended on 31 March 2025. The company now serves 23.2 million customers – almost three million more than a year ago. This surge makes the past twelve months one of the strongest performance periods the firm has recorded recently.

The bulk of the growth came from prepaid users, who jumped 15.4%. Those numbers show the continuing appetite for affordable, no‑contract connectivity across the country, especially in regions where post‑paid plans remain out of reach for many households. Even more impressive was the rise in mobile data subscribers – they rose 19.5% to reach 15.2 million, which now makes up 65.7% of all Telkom mobile customers.

CEO Serame Taukobong called the mobile side "the star of the consumer business" and highlighted that the company kept its average revenue per user (ARPU) steady at R60 (just over $3). That stability, paired with a 10.2% lift in mobile service revenue, helped lift the whole group’s turnover by 3.3% year‑on‑year.

How Telkom Powered the Growth: Pricing, Data Focus, and Infrastructure

Telkom’s strategy revolves around making data cheap and plentiful. By tweaking pricing models, the firm attracted a wave of new users in non‑metro areas where demand for cost‑effective connectivity is strongest. Mobile data revenue reflected that approach, climbing 12.3% to R16.065 billion.

Infrastructure investments are also part of the story. Openserve – Telkom’s wholesale arm – is busy laying down new terrestrial and undersea cable routes in partnership with global players such as Google. Recent projects include a direct link between South Africa, Angola and Brazil, a move that promises faster international bandwidth and better service quality for end‑users.

The first‑quarter trading update for 2025 reinforced the upward trend. Mobile data subscribers surged by an even larger 27.5% to 17.2 million, now representing 72.1% of the total subscriber pool. Mobile service revenue kept growing too, up 7.8% for the quarter.

Recognition from the market adds a nice feather to Telkom’s cap. The firm was named the Best Mobile Provider in South Africa in the 2024 Ask Afrika Orange Index, a testament to its "Possible Begins Here" brand positioning and growing customer loyalty.

Financial health mirrors the operational gains. At the consumer level, EBITDA jumped 36.0% to R5.567 billion and the EBITDA margin rose by 4.5 percentage points to 20.0%. Group‑wide, EBITDA rose 25.1% to R11.8 billion, while free cash flow exploded by 555.2% to R2.8 billion.

• Telkom mobile subscriber growth: 23.2 million (13.4% YoY)
• Prepaid users: +15.4% year‑on‑year
• Mobile data users: 15.2 million (19.5% increase)
• Mobile data revenue: R16.065 billion (+12.3%)
• Q1 2025 data users: 17.2 million (+27.5%)

All signs point to a telecom landscape where data is king, and Telkom is playing its cards well. With a solid subscriber base, steady ARPU, and a growing network of cables that link South Africa to the globe, the company appears set to keep its momentum well into the next fiscal year.