MTN Group today said it achieved revenue growth of 10 percent during the first quarter of 2019 — led by strong operational performance in South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.

The growth in service revenue was supported by 5.9 percent growth in voice, 18.3 percent rise in data and 30.6 percent increase in fintech revenue.

MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter said: “We are encouraged by the operational progress we continue to see across the business, supported by the network roll-out we achieved and enhancements to the propositions that we offer to our customers.”

MTN South Africa slashed pricing for pre-paid customers, making data services much more affordable.

MTN also launched Africa’s first instant messaging platform Ayoba in Ivory Coast and Cameroon. MTN will expand the instant messaging service into other markets in the second half of the year.