Notes to the consolidated annual financial statements
for the three years ended March 31, 2008
1.
Corporate information
Telkom SA Limited (‘Telkom’) is a company incorporated and
domiciled in the Republic of South Africa (‘South Africa’) whose
shares are publicly traded. The main objective of Telkom, its
subsidiaries and joint ventures (‘the Group’) is to supply
telecommunication, broadcasting, multimedia, technology,
information and other related information technology services to
the general public, as well as mobile communication services
through the Vodacom Group (Proprietary) Limited (‘Vodacom’) in
South Africa and certain other African countries. The Group’s
services and products include:
•
fixed-line subscription and connection services to postpaid,
prepaid and private payphone customers using PSTN lines,
including ISDN lines, and the sale of subscription based value-
added voice services and customer premises equipment rental
and sales;
•
fixed-line traffic services to postpaid, prepaid and payphone
customers, including local, long distance, fixed-to-mobile,
international outgoing and international voice-over-internet
protocol traffic services;
•
interconnection services, including terminating and transiting
traffic from South African mobile operators, as well as from
international operators and transiting traffic from mobile to
international destinations;
•
fixed-line data services, including domestic and international
data transmission services, such as point-to-point leased lines,
ADSL services, packet-based services, managed data
networking services and internet access and related information
technology services;
•
e-commerce, including internet access service provider,
application service provider, hosting, data storage, e-mail and
security services;
•
mobile communications services, including voice services, data
services, value-added services and handset sales through
Vodacom; and
•
other services including directory services, through our TDS
Directory Operations Group, wireless data services, through our
Swiftnet (Proprietary) Limited subsidiary, television media
services through our Telkom Media Group, internet services
outside South Africa, through our Africa Online Limited
subsidiary and information, communication and
telecommunication operating services in Nigeria, through our
newly acquired Multi-Links Telecommunications
Limited subsidiary.
2.
Significant accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The consolidated annual financial statements comply with
International Financial Reporting Standards (‘IFRS’) as issued by the
International Accounting Standards Board (‘IASB’) and the
Companies Act of South Africa, 1973.
The financial statements are prepared on the historical cost basis,
with the exception of certain financial instruments and share-based
payments which are measured at grant date fair value.
Details of the Group’s significant accounting policies are set out
below, and are consistent with those applied in the previous
financial year except for the following:
•
adoption of amendment to IAS1;
•
adoption of IFRS7, IFRIC8, IFRIC9, IFRIC10, IFRIC11 and
Circular 8/2007; and
•
identification of a new segment.
The principal effects of these changes are discussed below.
Adoption of amendments to standards and new
interpretations
The following revised standards and interpretations have been
adopted during the year under review:
Amendment to IAS1 Presentation of Financial Statements
This amendment is effective for annual periods beginning on or
after January 1, 2007. As a result of the pronouncement of IFRS7
Financial Instruments: Disclosures, IAS1 has been amended to
require the disclosure of the entity’s objective, policies and
processes for managing capital, quantitative data about what the
entity regards as capital, whether the entity has complied with
any capital requirements and if it has not complied, the
consequences of such non-compliance. The impact of this
amendment has been disclosed under note 12.
IFRS7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures
This standard is effective for annual periods beginning on or after
January 1, 2007. IFRS7 supersedes disclosure in IAS32. All
financial instruments disclosures will now be provided in terms of
IFRS7. One of the main disclosure requirements added by IFRS7
is that an entity must group its financial instruments into classes
of similar instruments, and when disclosures are required, make
disclosures by class. IFRS7 also requires information about the
significance of financial instruments and information about the
nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments. The
impact of this standard is to expand on certain disclosures relating
to financial instruments and requires certain additional disclosures
(refer to note 12).
IFRIC8 Scope of IFRS2
The interpretation is effective for annual periods beginning on or
after May 1, 2006. The interpretation clarifies that IFRS2 applies
to transactions in which an entity receives goods or services as
consideration for equity instruments of the entity. This includes
transactions in which the entity cannot identify specifically some or
all of the goods or services received. The impact of the interpretation
on the consolidated annual financial statements is not material
since the Group has not transacted with other parties using equity
as a purchase consideration for the transaction, other than those
paid to employees in share-based payment transactions.
IFRIC9 Reassessment of Embedded Derivatives
The interpretation is effective for annual periods beginning on or
after June 1, 2006. The interpretation clarifies that an entity
should assess whether an embedded derivative is required to be
separated from the host contract and accounted for as a derivative
when the entity first becomes a party to the contract. It further
clarifies that reassessment is only allowed when there is a change
in the terms of the contract which significantly modifies the cash
flows that would otherwise be required under the contract. The
interpretation does not have a material impact on the consolidated
annual financial statements.
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