Did Orange Kenya Inflate Subscriber Figures for CCK Report?

I have been really curious to know how the telcos get their figures to CCK. I have doubted the CCK figures because they rarely reflect what is practical on the ground. So I sought answers from analysts in the ICT industry. I am being told that CCK get figures by requesting for the same from the operators. CCK rarely does independent verification and that is how we end up with the CCK quarterly report.

In the CCK report, Orange is claiming to have more than 2.7 Million subscriptions as at June 2011 which is a gain for 116,000 from the previous year. Orange itself is claiming to have 1.25 Million subscribers in its annual report which also quotes figures for the period ending June 2011. The Orange figures reflect a drop of more than 318,000 from the previous year.

These are the two reports

• CCK Quarterly report
• Orange financial statement

There is nothing which can make Orange gain over One million in one year while all other providers with exception to Safaricom lost numbers. Walk all over the country and ask the people about Orange or even services. Few knows about it and even Orange dealers will tell you that the services are not selling well. Two dealers have ditched selling Orange Kenya products in Eastlands.

I tweeted that I really don’t trust CCK figures because even a national internet penetration of 12,5 Million does not reflect on the ground. When we were headed for the Internet Governance Forum 2011, CCK and other government officials called for a meeting for journalist with the view of all the journalists and bloggers present not giving the REAL figures of the country’s communication scene. Anybody who got a chance to ask pertinent questions was regarded as a rebel. There is something wrong especially in the government when anybody who asks questions is regarded as a rebel.

But I would really love to see the REAL figures of mobile subscriptions in the country and not some inflated numbers. The numbers currently being dished out are not suppose to be taken seriously. I have talked to CCK about the numbers and they promise to investigate this.