re: Ann: Network Announcement - 3G Network Sh... OPTUS and...

re: Ann: Network Announcement - 3G Network Sh... OPTUS and Vodafone Hutchison Australia have continued their assault in mobile telephony with strong customer growth for the September quarter.
According to Goldman Sachs analyst Raymond Tong, VHA added 58,000 net customers for the September quarter. Total postpaid adds for the quarter was 94,000, but the telco's total for the quarter was dragged down by a 36,000 decline in its prepaid customer base. The figures are based on VHA's joint parent Vodafone Group's half-year results for the six months to September 30.

"Although VHA net adds have slowed, it appears it is focusing on driving postpaid mobile growth. Its postpaid net adds improved during the quarter with net adds of 94,000 compared with June 10 quarter 59,000," Mr Tong wrote in a note to clients.

Mr Tong attributed the decline in VHA's prepaid customers to Telstra's price assault on the mobiles market.

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"We believe Telstra is likely to be winning market share as a result of its increased aggression in the marketplace. Telstra indicated that its mobile net adds during in the two months July-August was 262,000," he said.

Optus added 189,000 new mobile customers in the quarter to bring its total mobile base to 8.9 million, an 8 per cent increase from a year ago.

Comparisons between the two mobile players are not like for like as VHA reports to the calendar year under Hutchison Australia. Also, Vodafone Group does not report the number of wholesale customers on its network, as Optus does.

Optus's mobile growth was led by a strong showing in its postpaid base which grew by 143,000 new adds for the quarter.

Optus said 3G subscribers rose to 4.5 million in the quarter, with wireless broadband subscribers now exceeding 1 million.