Vodafone still bleeding customers

Customers continue to desert Vodafone's Australian operation in droves according to the latest set of group financials from the global mobile giant.

For the March 31 year quarter, Vodafone Group reported that it had 3,002,000 customers in Australia, down 108,000 from the January 2013 quarter. This is a continuation of a trend that saw the provider haemorrhage 443,000 customers last year after persistent network problems tarred its reputation.

Vodafone Plc and Hutchison Whampoa operate a joint venture in Australia, with a half share each of the VHA mobile provider.

The New Zealand arm of Vodafone also shed customers in the March quarter, dropping from 2,314,000 to 2,307,000.  

"Australia continued to experience steep revenue declines on the back of ongoing service perception issues," Colao said.

Commenting on the group results, Colao said: “Thanks to further strong progress this year in our key areas of strategic focus − data, enterprise and emerging markets − and an excellent performance from Verizon Wireless, we have achieved good growth in adjusted operating profit and
adjusted earnings per share." 

"However, we have faced headwinds from a combination of continued tough economic conditions, particularly in Southern Europe, and an adverse European regulatory environment," the Vodafone group chief executive said.

At group level, Vodafone saw profit for the 2013 financial year nosedive from over £7 billion (A$10.82 billion) in 2012 to £673 million (A$1.04 billion). Group revenue fell 4.2 per cent to £44.4 billion (A$68.6 billion).