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Smartphone Manufacturers Shipped 1.39 Billion Handsets in 2021

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Global smartphone manufacturers shipped a combined 1.39 billion handsets in 2021, the latest Counterpoint Research data has revealed. This represents a 4 percent year-on-year increase, the first increase since 2017.

According to the data, smartphone manufacturers shipped about 1.56 billion mobile devices globally in 2017, after which the number of shipments subsequently declined in the years that followed.

Counterpoint Research also noted that the growth occurred despite the pandemic and worldwide chip shortage. A senior analyst at the firm, Harmeet Singh Walia attributed last year’s shipments growth to pent-up demand in North America, Latin America and India.

It should be recalled that major mobile device and accessory manufacturers shut down production in 2020 at the peak of the pandemic. This affected both sales and supply of smartphones globally.

In the United States, the rise in shipments was largely driven by “demand for Apple’s first 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series seeping through to the first quarter of 2021″, from the previous year, Walia said. Demand during Black Friday sales and holiday promotions in the last quarter of the year also contributed to the surge in sales.

Holding the position as the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipments was South Korean company, Samsung, which shipped about 271 million devices in 2021. This accounts for a 6 percent year-on-year growth as demand for its mid-tier phones increased.

In second place is the iPhone manufacturer, Apple which saw its global smartphone shipments grow by 18 percent year on year to 237.9 million units due to the strong performance of the iPhone 12 series, Investors King has learnt.

Apart from the Black Friday sales in the US, Apple reported a record-high market share in China last quarter, where its shipment volume grew in key markets worldwide.

The research firm in its report stated that Apple, in China “became the top smartphone brand in Q4 after six years thanks to the iPhone 13, consequently overtaking Samsung as the top smartphone globally in Q4 2021.”

With 31 percent year-on-year growth, Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi comes behind Apple and Samsung, shipping about 190 million devices. Although its shipment volume was significantly behind the top two, Xiaomi has currently grown to become the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer. Investors King understands that Xiaomi is now India’s top smartphone brand after toppling Samsung in 2018.

Although topping the chart, Samsung recently disclosed that it expects demand for smartphones and tablets to decline in the third quarter (Q3)  of2022, down from the final quarter of 2021 due to weak seasonality and uncertainties over component supply.

According to Counterpoint, some of Samsung’s growth was limited by growing competition in markets like India and Latin America. The company has said that it plans to tackle the sales decline by expanding sales of its flagship Galaxy S series devices and roll out competitive, mass-market 5G handsets.

Two other Chinese smartphone makers, Oppo and Vivo were ranked fourth and fifth, shipping 143.2 million and 131.3 million devices, respectively. Both companies, according to Counterpoint, registered double-digit growths last year in 2021.

Counterpoint Analyst, Singh Walia noted that the smartphone market recovery witnessed in last year, “could have been even better if not for the component shortages that impacted much of the second half of 2021. The major brands navigated the component shortages comparatively better and hence managed to grow by gaining share from long-tail brands,” he added.

The research firm expressed optimism that the smartphone industry’s growth in 2022 could be sustained if only the pandemic is controlled globally and if supply chain shortages of semiconductors and other components hindering shipments are resolved by the middle of the year.

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Telecommunications

MTN Nigeria Posts 33.6% Revenue Growth Despite Subscriber Drop in 2024

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MTN Nigeria Communications Plc’s total subscribers decreased by 0.9% to 77 million in the nine months ended 30 September 2024.

In the company’s unaudited financial statements, active data users increased by 5.1% to 45.3 million while mobile money wallets decreased by 21.8% to 2.8 million.

Service revenue rose by 33.6% to N2.4 trillion. See other details below.

Key Financial Highlights points:

● Total subscribers decreased by 0.9% to 77.0 million, impacted by the NIN-SIM regulations
● Active data users increased by 5.1% to 45.3 million
● Active mobile money (MoMo PSB) wallets decreased by 21.8% to 2.8 million
● Service revenue increased by 33.6% to N2.4 trillion
● Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) decreased by 5.3% to N860.2 billion
● EBITDA margin decreased by 14.9 percentage points (pp) to 36.3%
● Loss after tax was N514.9 billion (Q3 2024 profit after tax of N4.1 billion)
● Profit after tax (PAT) adjusted for the net forex loss was N118.5 billion, down 59.2%
● Earnings per share (EPS) was negative N24.51 kobo (positive N5.65 kobo adjusted for the forex loss, down 59.2%)
● Closing retained earnings and shareholders’ funds of negative N723.0 billion and N573.6 billion, respectively
● Capital expenditure (capex) excluding leases was down 27.8% to N217.6 billion
● Positive free cash flow of N536.8 billion, an increase of 21.9%

Commenting on the company’s performance, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola “In the first nine months of 2024, we sustained the growth in our underlying operating performance – underpinned by our resilient business model and operational agility –despite challenging conditions.

The inflation rate remained elevated amidst rising energy prices and naira depreciation. Inflation averaged 32.8% in the nine months (Q3 2024: 32.8%) compared to an average of 24.5% in 2023 (Q3 2023: 25.5%). To curb inflation, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) increased the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 8.5pp to 27.25% during the period, resulting in higher funding costs, although this helped reduce volatility and improve liquidity in the forex market.

The higher inflation and interest rates weighed on consumers’ spending power and impacted business activity. However, we remain focused on enhancing operational efficiency and driving the growth of our commercial operations.

Additionally, the naira closed at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) in September 2024 at N1,542/US$ (December 2023: N907/US$), exerting pressure on business activity. The improvement in liquidity in the foreign exchange (forex) market has helped us reduce our exposure to foreign currency-denominated
obligations.

We continued to manage the effects of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) industry-wide NIN-SIM directive, which has impacted the evolution of our customer base. Having implemented the directive with all our subscribers fully compliant, we continue our drive towards reconnecting those affected to reduce churn
while extracting increased value from the market.

Sustained commercial momentum notwithstanding the macro headwinds

Our commercial momentum drove broad-based growth across all revenue segments, demonstrating the underlying strength and resilience of the business. We recorded an increase in service revenue of 33.6%, which was ahead of the average inflation rate in the period. This growth was led by data and supported by voice, fintech and digital
services.

We recorded a 9.8% increase in voice traffic and a 42.1% increase in data traffic. In addition, data usage per user grew by 31.2% to 11.3GB, supported by the rising demand for data and digital services, which has contributed to revenue growth.

In the fintech business, we focused on executing our growth strategy, prioritising increasing wallet quality, focusing on advanced services and the MoMo PSB app to enhance the user experience and engagement. We have introduced cross-border remittances with thirteen fellow African countries to boost adoption and monetisation.

Taking advantage of their interoperability, we are now leveraging the existing network of agent and merchant ecosystem in the industry to bring our services closer to our customers.

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Telecommunications

Elon Musk’s Starlink Suspends Internet Subscription Price Hike for Nigerian Users 

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Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has suspended its earlier announced price increase for Nigerian users.

A message from the Starlink Team on Thursday noted that the suspension of the price hike is temporary, adding that the latest decision is to navigate regulatory challenges.

Investors King had on October 2 reported that the internet service inflated its prices owing to rising inflation in Nigeria.

The monthly subscription fee had risen by 97 percent, from N38,000 to N75,000, as customers expressed displeasure over the significant increment.

Starlink had also said that new users would also face a higher cost for the Starlink kit (hardware for installation), which was to be priced at N590,000, a 34 percent increase from the previous price of N440,000.

Meanwhile, about 22 days after, the internet company rescinded its decision to increase the price, citing some regulatory challenges.

Even though the company stated that the increment would have enabled it to deliver reliable service for its users, it pointed out that it could no longer proceed with it in the meantime.

According to the company, it needed regulatory support to make the improvements necessary for a better customer experience.

While assuring customers who had already subscribed to packages carrying the hiked prices that their account would be credited, the company declared that users could still cancel their services.

The message by Starlink to its customers read, “Last month, we increased the monthly service price for Starlink in Nigeria to account for inflation, helping us maintain operations and continue delivering reliable service.

“Today, we are temporarily suspending this price increase as we navigate regulatory challenges.

“If you’ve already been charged at the higher rate, a one-time credit will be applied to your account to cover the difference. You also have the flexibility to cancel your service at any time.

“We remain committed to providing high-speed Internet in Nigeria, but we need regulatory support to make the improvements necessary for a better customer experience. Without these approvals, our ability to continue delivering service is at risk.

“Thank you for choosing Starlink and supporting our mission to bring affordable, high-speed internet to more people as many people around the world as possible.”

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Telecommunications

Telecom Tariffs Set to Rise as FG Proposes 12.5% Tax Hike

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Telecommunication service providers in Nigeria have announced an impending increase in customer tariffs for calls and data.

The anticipated rise is attributed to the Federal Government’s proposed 12.5% value-added tax on telecommunications, which would represent a 66.67% increase from the current 7.5%.

According to telecom operators, the increase in tax would force them to also increase the tariff charged for consumers’ calls and data.

The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), a non-profit organisation representing the interests of mobile network operators worldwide stated that Nigeria’s telecom industry is already overtaxed. Therefore, any increase in the tax rate would impact customer tariffs.

GSMA declared that the telecommunication industry pays over 50 different taxes to various government arms.

This tax increase is in line with the new Bill reform, which imposes excise duties on technology and consumer services industries, including telecommunications, gaming, gambling, lotteries, and betting services.

As part of a broader tax reform initiative, the proposed Bill aims to unify the fiscal legislation governing taxation in the country.

“A Bill for an Act to Repeal Certain Acts on Taxation and Consolidate the Legal Frameworks relating to Taxation and Enact the Nigeria Tax Act to Provide for Taxation of Income, Transactions, and Instruments, and Related Matters,” the Bill read.

“Services, including telecommunications, gaming, gambling, betting, and lotteries however described, provided in Nigeria shall be charged with duties of excise at the rates specified under the Tenth Schedule to this Act in a manner as may be prescribed by the Service,” the Bill outlined.

“Amount of an excisable transaction is the amount chargeable for the service by the service provider, both in money or money’s worth,” the Bill indicated

In response to the proposed tax reform, the President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, expressed concern that the government’s proposal could cripple the telecommunications industry.

“They are essentially trying to kill the industry by imposing more burdens on it,” he stated

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