Vodacom South Africa has recorded a bumper December 2003, the best month since it launched in early 1994.

It says it added 627,000 new South African customers. there are 9 million active customers on its South African network.

It also operates in Tanzania, Mozambique and Nigeria. The non-SA networks have 1.25 million customers.

”This was Vodacom's best month since we started service in SA on 1 June 1994,” says Vodacom Group CEO, Alan Knott-Craig. Over 47,000 were more lucrative contract subscribers -- also more than any month previously.

"The total market (in South Africa) now is around 17 million. At this kind of rate we could get to 19 million in six to 12 months," Knott-Craig said, adding the market could be "in the mid-20s" within five years.

“We remain the leading network in SA with more than 54% market share.”

The other mobile networks are CellC and MTN.

Knott-Craig said Vodacom was also interested in a license in Iran, but did not yet have permission from its 35 percent shareholder Vodafone to invest in that country.