[kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits

Sat May 18 22:52:20 EAT 2013

Alison,

This provides some interesting insights. To what extent is consumer behaviour a factor in the equation here? Kenyans seem to be very peculiar. For e.g. the Ghanaian market seems to have different consumer behaviour resulting in very vibrant tariff offerings lowering prices compared to Kenya and consumers move to other networks when unsatisfied, we simply don't, why? So in Ghana you have MSPs tripping over each other offering all sorts of incentives - so you have a semblance of true competition. I wonder what your RIA results for Ghana show over the past decade?

RIA may want to explore a qualitative study (if you haven't already done so) to accompany your current analysis to explain the numbers and trends with a human face.

Indeed, I look forward to the results of your study on Kenya (with some comparative analysis)  and the face2face interaction. I do hope you will have a structured debate on KICTANET once you study results are out.

Edith

From: Alison Gillwald [mailto:agillwald at researchictafrica.net]
Sent: May 18, 2013 10:11 PM
To: Ali Hussein
Cc: Edith Adera; KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; alice at apc.org Munyua; Christoph Stork; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions; Margaret Nyambura
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits

Interesting discussion!

In response to Ali's comments I would point out that infrastructure industries are by nature imperfect markets because of the bottleneck facilities or natural monopoly elements  in them. That is why we need effective regulation of them.  It is true that privatisation turned the old PSTN  around, but it was also able to exploit its incumbency.  The dominance of historical incumbents of the backbone facilities or even  just the significant market power that Safaricom has leveraged off that  in the mobile market makes it very difficult to compete in any of these markets, especially when Safaricom is able further to leverage its scale in the marker to extend it scope with new services and applications  - especially killer applications such as Mpesa, as mentioned -  and not very attractive for new market entrants.

Competitors really require their  strategies to be disruptive if they are going to succeed in such entrenched markets, but even then this is very difficult as it requires the competitor to do something that the dominant operator cannot simply emulate.  Celtel/Zain tried this with the one network, which was good for consumers in that it ended roaming charges across East Africa (and indeed their extended networks into central and west Africa) and had it worked might have given Zain's mobile money offering at the time the step up it needed to compete in the early days of Mpesa, but Safaricom responded to this threat by joining forces with the dominant operators in Uganda and Tanzania to offer free roaming across their networks  and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bharti Airtel tried to disrupt the market with  its low cost mobile business model across its African markets as it had done successfully in India, but even the significant call termination (monopoly element) rate reductions did not enable it to do so (and the moratorium on rate reductions did not help). Yet our RIA data shows that although Safaricom's mobile prices remain the most expensive, there has been considerable competitive pressure on them and they have reduced their prices significantly during the period of the glide path. And though there marketshare is marginally down, their traffic and profits are up (despite all the complaining)! (In Nigeria as someone mentioned, MTN's dominance of the market and pricing, without as significant interconnection regulation, has not been shaken at all and Airtel has not been able to disrupt that market with their low cost mobile model and is now very marginal there, while MTN  too enjoys super-profits).

On that score, I don't think super-profits of dominant players send positive signal to investors in regulated 'competitive' markets, especially if some players are close to exiting the market. I think it sends messages that the regulator or competition authority are not able to adjust the dominant ( possibly anti-competitive) behaviour of the incumbent and create a level playing field for new entrants for them to see a return on the investments within a reasonable period.

And all that being said, what we are seeing  in our analysis of price trends is a need to examine voice and data offering and pricing in relation to each other... in South Africa for example MTN has not entered into the price war on voice (other than through MTN zone, but their standard rates remain unchanged, while Vodacom is trying to undercut, CellC and 8ta)  but they are very competitive on their data offerings, and their revenues streams are showing this - but of course even this is very difficult to measure externally as people are buying airtime for voice and loading it for data. We are working with our Kenyan network partners on an analysis on voice and data prices and regulatory implications, which they will be releasing shortly and should shed some light on this.

And just to add that the regulator can only do what it can do in terms of implementing the law. If the solution lies in increasing competition (which probably won't address Safaricom's dominance on its own) or structural separation of the incumbent  into a open access common carrier, with separate service offering,  which is more likely to - but would raise all the risk of dismantling the economies of scope and scale (with the associated nework effects) of vertical integration that  has enabled Safaricom's  success  in offering high value services to consumers  - then policy makers will need to act, not the regulator (though they if they have a view I guess they could be more active in advising Government).

Enough.
Alison

Alison Gillwald (PhD) l Executive Director: Research ICT Africa l 409 The Studios, Old Castle Brewery, 6 Beach Road, Woodstock, Cape Town 7925l l Tel: +27 21 4476332 Fax: +27 21 4479529  l  Box 228, Green Point 8051 l
Adjunct Professor UCT Graduate School of Business, Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation.

See www.researchICTafrica.net<http://www.researchICTafrica.net/> for details on latest publications

On 18 May 2013, at 7:14 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke<mailto:ali at hussein.me.ke>> wrote:

Edith

I don't believe this is a case only for the regulator. What happens when in a few years a new player becomes dominant again? The market isn't perfect but its the best we have.

Regulation is part of this equation. But I don't think it should be used to break up companies or restrict them from operating because the competition proved too weak to compete.

What do we think the monopolies commission in this country will do? Do we have any example of what they have done to curb so called monopolies?

I'm not really so sure that this is a mandate of CCK to deal with.

How does the CCK enhance competition? In this I think CCK is executing as well as they can. It is now upon the market to correct the inconsistencies and inefficiencies.

In my unfinished post I meant to say for every Microsoft there is a Google lurking somewhere. What regulation and Government fails to correct the market surely will.

Have we forgotten that Kencell at some point was leading the market and thought that the mobile phone was only for the elite? That Safaricom was part of the KP&TC (for those of you who don't remember that's Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corporation) and that if you wanted a top up you had to go to a hole in the wall at Telecoms House to pay and then wait for a few hours for the airtime to be updated to your phone?

Safaricom was unleashed through privatization and reinvented itself. Another one is lurking in the corner to eat Safaricom's lunch and that I will bet will not be any government regulation. It will be you and me who will finally vote with our wallets when we finally get a better alternative.

Meanwhile, we continue to suffer - but clearly not in silence. :)

Ali Hussein
CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd
Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd

+254 713 601113

"The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb

Sent from my iPad

On May 18, 2013, at 7:33 PM, Edith Adera <eadera at idrc.ca<mailto:eadera at idrc.ca>> wrote:
Well articulated Walu!!

Time to hear from CCK? Wangusi? Matano and co?

Edith

From: kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.ca at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Walubengo J
Sent: May 18, 2013 5:20 PM
To: Edith Adera
Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; Christoph Stork; Alison Gillwald; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits

True that, Ali,

I also share your view in that ill-informed Regulatory intervention can cause more problems than what it expects to solve. For example, I would be uncomfortable with CCK slapping the internet market with Price controls similar to what we are seeing in the Energy sector.  This could be counterproductive since the investors in the telco industry may suddenly feel the sector is no longer attractive.

What I expect the Regulator to do instead is to enhance competition - which obviously exists only on paper - given Safaricom close to 75% market share. I recall the former Safcom CEO, MJ saying they should not be punished for working their way to the top of the industry but still dissect the implications of a dominant, almost monopolistic player to the overall economy.

Perfect competition is known to have the highest social dividend in that users can move freely between suppliers, suppliers compete on price and so must be extremely efficient in their operations by being innovative, the move to the untapped markets (the unconnected) etc. A monopoly tends to do the opposite and dictates pricing since it knows you are going nowhere...

Am really not sure what the Regulator should do to fix a market failure - which I think is what we have in the internet sector. But that is why we pay the DG and his Directors good money to tell us what they intend to do or are already doing to address this elephant in room.

walu.

________________________________
From: Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke<mailto:ali at hussein.me.ke>>
To: jwalu at yahoo.com<mailto:jwalu at yahoo.com>
Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum <mediaeditors at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:mediaeditors at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>; Christoph Stork <christoph.stork at googlemail.com<mailto:christoph.stork at googlemail.com>>; Alison Gillwald <agillwald at researchictafrica.net<mailto:agillwald at researchictafrica.net>>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 2:41 PM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits

Edith and all

Super profits and all I think that Safaricom is reaping from a field where others are blind (the analogy bring that it is the one eyed king).

Safaricom is definitely extremely sensitive to product innovation and working towards engaging their customers more. However my suspicion is that they haven't even started scratching the surface. Quality issues aside if they really really started monetizing their most critical asset (real time customer information and habits) and started putting them to use they will easily double the super profits.

Safaricom is 'suffering' from the Network effect. Loosely defined is the lethargy and lack of incentive for customers like you and I to move to another network even as we complain about it's arrogance. They have been so successful in keeping you in their gilded garden that for you to move means that you are literally pushing yourself out of n ecosystem that works reasonably week.

I'm not sure whether this is a regulator issue as it is a Market issue. Or maybe a combination of both? That is a case study waiting to be written. The history of regulation is littered with Governments attempts and ultimate failure to break up monopolies created not out of Government action but by sheer entrepreneurial and management chops. Cases that come to mind include:-

1. The Anti Trust Laws of the late 1890s in the US that broke up Standard Oil into bits and pieces. It took less than 50 years for the offspring of that juggernaut to dominate again.

2. The attempted and almost successful break up of Microsoft by Government. It took the market to make Microsoft irrelevant. Google, Facebook, Amazon anyone?

3. Recent noi

Ali Hussein
CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd
Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd

+254 713 601113

"The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb

Sent from my iPad

On May 18, 2013, at 1:23 PM, otieno.barrack at gmail.com<mailto:otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
+ 1 Walu,
Speaking from an Internet Society perspective whose mission statement is the Internet for all, I think the Universal Access fund has to be used to create the right balance, I think too many Telcos are focusing on slicing Safaricoms Market share instead of venturing into the untapped and unprofitable market segments in the Bundu's, IMHO, therein lies the problem, we want to see whether the Universal Access fund board itasema, na itende.

Best Regards
Sent from my BlackBerry(r)

-----Original Message-----
From: Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com<mailto:jwalu at yahoo.com>>
Sender: "kictanet"
<kictanet-bounces+otieno.barrack=gmail.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet-bounces+otieno.barrack=gmail.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 03:16:11
To: <otieno.barrack at gmail.com<mailto:otieno.barrack at gmail.com>>
Reply-To: Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com<mailto:jwalu at yahoo.com>>
Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum<mediaeditors at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:mediaeditors at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>; Christoph Stork<christoph.stork at googlemail.com<mailto:christoph.stork at googlemail.com>>; Alison Gillwald<agillwald at researchictafrica.net<mailto:agillwald at researchictafrica.net>>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors]  Safaricom's Super Profits

_______________________________________________
kictanet mailing list
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail.com

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
_______________________________________________
kictanet mailing list
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

_______________________________________________
kictanet mailing list
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
_______________________________________________
kictanet mailing list
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20130518/07706052/attachment.htm>