Botswana's Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) is optimistic that data revenue growth aligned with internet penetration can spur the company’s growth as fixed line voice revenues drop.

The BTCL is the state-owned enterprise that provides all public telecoms services in Botswana.

And according to BTCL managing director, Paul Taylor who announced the company's annnual financial results for 2012/13, internet penetration in the country pegged at 10% provides potential for growth in data based revenues.

BTCL’s data and private circuit’s revenue recorded a 12% increase to 510 million pula from 455 million pula recorded in the previous financial year.

Meanwhile, fixed line voice revenues for both national and international fell by 2% and 7% respectively, in line with declining prospects for fixed line voice based revenues worldwide.

“Growth in data is compensating well for the decline in voice,” said Taylor.

For the 2012/2013 BTCL revenues, again surged past the billion pula mark to stand at P1.375 billion compared to P1.187 billion recorded in the 2011/12 financial period.

According to the company the revenues were largely driven by mobile network which saw a 58% increase to record revenues of P325 million for the period compared to P206 million in 2011/12.

Taylor added that the company is on the brink of becoming a fully customer-centric fixed mobile and converged (FMC) organisation.

The company intends to position itself in the mobile market, yeild revenues from data services a key growth area and revenues derived from converged services.

Taylor said through the accelerated change (AC) initiative starting in 2013, BTCL has been able to secure substantial capital funding of about $80 million to improve IT systems and processes.

“We are automating to provide efficient and more effective service to our customers,” he said.