Home | Book 1 - MTN Group Overview | Downloads | Glossary of terms |
 
 
Glossary

Glossary

Terms and acronyms

  2G   Second generation
  3G   Third generation
  Afcon   Africa Cup of Nations
  ADR   American depository receipt
  AI   Africa investor
  ARPU*   Average revenue per user per month
  ATM   Automatic tele machine
  BA   Bankers’ acceptance rate
  BEE   Black economic empowerment
  BOT   Build operate and transfer
  Bps   Basis points
  BRM   Business risk management
  BTS   Base transceiver station
  BwP   Botswana pula
  Capex   Capital expenditure
  CBC   African business awards
  CDMA   Code-Division Multiple Access
  CFA   Communaute Financiére Africaine franc
  CGU   Cash-generating units
  CSR   Corporate social responsibility
  CST   Communication service tax
  CYP   Cypriot pounds
  dti   South African Department of Trade and Industry
  E   Emalengeni
  EASSy   Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System
  EBITDA   Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
  ECA   Electronic Communications Act of South Africa
  ECICSA   Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa
  EMF   Electronic magnetic fields
  EPS   Earnings per share
  eTOM   enhanced telecom operations map
  EVD   Electronic voucher distribution
  EUR   Euro
  EURIBOR   Euro Interbank Offered Rate
  EVD   Electronic voucher distribution
  EXCO   Executive committee
  FEC   Forward Exchange Contract

* ARPU is measured on a monthly basis. The revenue (including interconnect fees but excluding connection fees and visitor roaming revenue) is divided by the weighted average subscriber base over the reported period.

  FIFA   Federation Internationale de Football Association
  FIPPA   Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act
  FMCG   Fast moving consumable goods
  GDP   Gross domestic product
  GHC   Ghana cedi
  GPRS   General packet radio service
  GRI   Global Reporting Initiative
  GSM   Global system for mobile communications
  HEPS   Headline earnings per share
  HIV/Aids   Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome
  HR   Human resources
  HSDPA   High speed downlink packet access
  IAS   International Accounting Standards
  ICASA   Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
  ICT   Information and communication technologies
  IFC   International Finance Corporation
  IFRIC   International Financial Reporting Interpretation Committee
  IFRS   International Financial Reporting Standards
  IP   Internet protocol
  IRR   Iranian riyals
  IS   Information Systems
  ISO   International Standards Organisation
  ISP   Internet service provider
  ITIL   Information technology infrastructure library
  IVR   Interactive voice response
  JSE   JSE Limited – the South African stock exchange
  JIBAR   Johannesburg Interbank Agreed Rate
  King II   King committee report on corporate governance 2002
  King III   King committee report on corporate governance 2009
  LCs   Letters of Credit
  Loerie   South African Advertising industry’s accolades
  LIBOR   London Interbank Offered Rate
      German Interbank Offered Bank
  LTE   Long-term evolution
  NRHR & CG   Nomination, remuneration, human resources and corporate governance committee

  MCharge   MTN’s virtual recharge mechanism
  MENA   Middle East and North Africa region includes operations in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Cyprus
  MMS   Multimedia messaging service
  MNP   Mobile number portability
  MOU   Minutes of use
  MPLS   Multiprotocol label switching
  NCC   Nigerian Communications Commission
  NGN   Next-generation networking/New-generation networking
  NGN   Nigerian naira
  NIBOR   Norwegian InterBank Offered Rate
  NokNok   MTN’s instant social messaging chat service, launched in 2007
  NTC   National Telecommunications Corporation
  off-net   Telephone calls originating and terminating on different networks
  OIETAI   Organisation for Investment Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran
  on-net   Telephone calls originating and terminating on the same network
  PAT   Profit after tax
  PAYG   Pay as you go
  PIC   Public Investment Corporation
  PIN   Personalised identification number
  postpaid/contract   Services for which the subscriber has a contract and pays monthly
  PTO   Public telecommunications operator
  prepaid   Services for which the subscriber has paid in advance
  PSTN   Public switched telephone network
  PwC   PricewaterhouseCoopers
  RICA   Communication-Related Information Act
  SAICA   South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
  SARS   South African Revenue Services
  SARs   Share Appreciation Rights Scheme
  SDD   Sudanese dinars
  SEA   South and East Africa includes operations in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia
  SHE   Safety, health and environment
  SIM   Subscriber identity module
  SME   Small and medium enterprise
  SMS   Short message service
  SP   Service provider
  SPE   Special purpose entities
  STC   Secondary taxation on companies
  SPV   Special purpose vehicle
  STRATE   Share Transactions Totally Electronic
  subscriber**   A customer who has participated in a revenue generating activity within the last 90 days
  SYP   Syrian pound
  SRI   Social responsible investment index
  TCI   Telecommunications Company of Iran
  TDM   Time division multiplexing
  UCT   University of Cape Town
  Unisa   University of South Africa
  USD   US dollar
  UGX   Uganda shilling
  VGC   VGC Communications Limited
  VoIP   Voice over internet protocol
  VP   Vice president
  wECA   West and Central Africa includes operations in Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Liberia, Guinea
      Republic, Guinea Bissau and Congo-Brazzaville
  wiMax   Worldwide interoperability for microwave access/broadband wireless technology
  ZAR   South African rand
  ZCA   Zambian Communications Authority
  ZMK   Zambian kwacha

** South Africa subscribers (and therefore ARPUs) now include community payphones into prepaid and application providers into postpaid. Prior periods have been adjusted for comparative purposes.