Telkom lost more than 100 000 fixed broadband users in 2018

Surprise surprise. People who previously had fixed line internet solutions are slowly heading to fibre and LTE options, according to Telkom’s latest internet subscriber numbers.

The SA telecoms firm on Monday released its fiscal report (opens as PDF) for the year ending 31 March 2019 (effectively its 2018 fiscal year). It was underscored by excellent mobile network growth, but weighed down by its customers fleeing its services for more modern solutions.

Between March 2018 and March 2019, the firm lost 133 000 fixed broadband subscribers (that includes ADSL, VDSL and fibre solutions). Interestingly, it added around 75 000 fibre to the home users at a growth rate of 20.7%, suggesting that a much larger swathe of consumers are jumping ship from copper to glass.

Actual users across Telkom Internet ADSL, IDSN and WiMax offerings also tanked by 60 000 in the same period. It’s Closer subscribers decreased by 70 000.

The company’s internet solutions growth has been slowly declining since 2016, when it peaked just above a million subscribers. That number now stands at just below 850 000, and considering recent trends, will likely continue to decline.

Featured image: Dave Crosby via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, resized)