MTN guns for 250k customers

MTN says it will gain a quarter of a million customers more than it previously expected.

Growth in the South African market is helping Africa's largest mobile operator to offset a contraction in its largest market, Nigeria.

The company will add 17.5 million net subscribers this year, compared with previous guidance of 17.25 million, MTN said. The carrier's customer base grew by 2% to 219 million in the three months until the end of September.

MTN operates in more than 20 countries in the Middle East and Africa, and has overhauled senior management in its fastest-growing markets.

It seeks to increase smartphone penetration and boost data revenue outside South Africa, where sales have been under pressure from competitors and regulators.

MTN's South Africa subscriber base increased by 5.7% to 26.7 million. Data sales have increased by 34% this year, the company said without disclosing the amount.

Nigerian regulatory restrictions relating to a dominant-operator ruling led to a "marginal decline" in the subscriber base in Africa's most populous country and will affect second-half revenue growth, the company said.

MTN is the biggest operator in Nigeria with 58.4 million customers.