The wireless carrier was "impacted by a weaker macro- economic environment following the reduction in the price of oil in 2014 and continued price competition," Chief Executive Officer Sifiso Dabengwa said in the statement. MTN Nigeria showed "improved subscriber growth trends although revenue and minutes growth remains a challenge." MTN has been cutting costs and exploring potential acquisitions as revenue shrinks in its home market of South Africa, where it trails crosstown rival Vodacom Group Ltd. in terms of customer numbers. The company is trying to boost data revenue amid price competition and regulatory pressures. MTN shares declined 0.8 percent to 224.54 rand as of 9:20 a.m. in Johannesburg, paring the year's gain to 1.4 percent. Vodacom is trading 12 percent higher in 2015.