Safaricom subscriber numbers on record may not reflect the actual situation on the ground.
According to the CEO Bob Collymore, the company conducted investigations on a scam following a situation where the number of subscribers was seen to soar with no corresponding changes in revenue! The dealers, Phones U Like, Zertot and Telesoft, were pre-activating new lines by loading airtime and claiming the commission, normally KES350 (US$4.05) after purchasing the lines for KES100.
As a result of this development, Collymore fears the subscriber numbers on record may not reflect the actual situation on the ground. The company has therefore restructured the way in which the dealers will be paid in future. From now on the dealers will only be paid on condition that the sold lines are on usage.
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http://allafrica.com/stories/201103140343.htmlI wonder the extent to which cooked figures impact on investment decisions on the NSE??