US trial turns heat on MTN
A US computer salesman who supplied sensitive equipment to MTN’s mobile network in Iran has been jailed for violating US economic sanctions. The conviction is damning for the South African mobile giant, as it provides judicial corroboration that the company used sanctions-busting
Hoffmann clears MTN of Iran wrongdoing
The Hoffmann Committee, appointed by MTN, has cleared the Johannesburg-listed telecommunications group of wrongdoing in Iran, calling allegations made by rival Turkcell a “fabric of lies, distortions and inventions”. MTN told shareholders on Friday that the committee, chaired top jurist
MTN expects faster growth
Pan-African and Middle Eastern mobile telecommunications operator, the MTN Group, now expects to add 23,7m new subscribers in 2012, up from previous guidance of 21,2m. In a quarterly update, for the period ended 30 September, MTN says it has grown its subscriber base by 3,8% to 182,7m despite
Anti-MTN Iran ads get local gag
A major US lobby group’s shock advertising campaign, alleging that MTN is “profiting from torture” in Iran, has been blocked by local agencies. But it claims that SA advertising companies have refused to erect the billboards because of the influence of the telecommunications giant. United Against Nuclear Iran
Suspend Minty over MTN, says DA
The DA has called for the suspension of senior diplomat Abdul Minty over allegations emerging from a legal challenge to cellphone giant MTN’s operations in Iran. Allegations against Minty were so serious that they should be probed by the department of international relations and the diplomat suspended
Saloojee suspended over MTN bribe claims
Former ambassador to Iran Yusuf Saloojee has been suspended from his position at the department of international relations & cooperation. “Yes, he has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation,” spokesperson Clayson Monyela said. The investigation related to allegations that Saloojee accepted
Row over witness in MTN bribe claims
Turkish cellphone operator Turkcell has accused SA-based multinational mobile giant MTN of orchestrating a “cover-up” rather than a credible investigation into claims that the South Africans bribed and influence-peddled their way into Iran in 2005. The Turkish company said in a statement that
MTN again rubbishes Iran claims
The MTN group CEO Sifiso Dabengwa said on Friday the record needed to be set straight regarding allegations of bribery relating to a mobile phone licence in Iran. “MTN has been threatened and attacked by a disappointed competitor and a disgruntled former employee,” he said in a statement
MTN buys back billions in own shares
MTN has acquired nearly R1,4bn in its own shares in the past three months in a move it says is meant to improve returns to its shareholders. Between 8 March and 28 May 2012, the telecommunications group says it has bought back shares to the value of R1,36bn. The total value of shares bought back
MTN notches up 170m subscribers
Mobile operator MTN saw subscriber numbers in SA grow by 3,2% in the quarter ended 31 March 2012, although there was a decline in average revenue per user (Arpu) in both the prepaid and postpaid markets. The group as a whole reported subscriber growth of 3,7% for the quarter. The group recorded
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