Vodafone India Offers 1 GB of Bonus Data on Pre-Booked 4G SIMs

Vodafone India has launched a promotion for its customers in the state of Haryana, where the operator plans to commercially launch its 4G services soon. As part of the campaign, customers who pre-book their Vodafone 4G SIM until 23 August will receive a 1GB 4G data bonus valid for 10 days from activation. To access the offer, Vodafone customers in Haryana need a 4G-enabled handset and an active Vodafone 3G package. In addition, Vodafone 4G customers from Haryana will be able to access 4G connectivity while roaming across all existing Vodafone 4G circles in India—Mumbai, Delhi and environs, Kerala, Karnataka and Kolkata. Vodafone has already made 4G-ready SIMs available at 250 branded stores and at over 5,000 multi-brand outlets across Haryana.   The capital investment required to launch 4G-LTE services is quite substantial, and operators will of course want to know that there will be a customer base in place to provide the return on its investment. India is a rapidly developing mobile marketplace making the transition from 2G/3G to 4G. To incentivize its existing customers to purchase a 4G-enabled handset in order to be ready for the launch of the high-speed services, and to be willing to accept the higher charges for that service, Vodafone is offering some free data. A one-time 1 GB giveaway is not particularly extravagant by developed-market standards, but for users who have not previously had the ability to consumer large amounts of data via high-speed networks, it will likely be very appealing. Most important, though, from a strategic point of view is the fact that Vodafone India is requiring customers to pre-book their 4G service in order to get the promotional offer. With enough pre-booked subscriptions, the operator will have the confidence of knowing that its new service will have enough subscribers to bring in enough revenue to make it viable. We consider this to be a very savvy approach.  Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com

Farmers in Rural New Zealand Are the Biggest Users of Spark’s 4G network

New Zealand operator Spark has found that farmers and the rural sector consistently use the most 4G/LTE data across the entire country. When analyzing data traffic over the last month, Spark’s cell towers in both Waiuku and Te Puke showed the highest volume of use. Farmers and rural residents in these two locations are consistently using over 1 TB of data each week. Other rural sites including Pukekura, Te Awamutu, Pukekohe and Te Kawa also rank extremely high in 4G data usage. This news from New Zealand is a useful reminder that while the assumption tends to be that users in dense urban areas are the most sophisticated and data-hungry, rural users, particularly in countries such as New Zealand that have a thriving agricultural base, can also be major market drivers. The fact that farmers there stand out as the biggest consumers of mobile data also illustrates the point that mobile internet can be especially desirable in regions where fixed line service may be relatively less available and/or less efficient. Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com

3 UK Announces Steep Increase in Cost of MMS

Mobile operator 3 UK has announced a steep increase in the cost of sending MMS messages. Starting 13 June, the cost of sending an MMS will rise from 17.4p (US $0.25)  to 40p (US $0.58). The company is advising customers that they can use other ways to send photo or video messages, including mobile apps such as Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Viber. Here is new chapter in the saga of the MNOs versus the OTT providers—an operator is actively pushing its customers toward the OTTs and away from its own messaging services. The operator’s recommendation about using Skype, etc., indicate that it views the eclipse of MMS by free or near-free OTT services to be inevitable, and therefore that there is no longer any real reason to keep the price of MMS down. The price hike brings 3’s MMS cost in line with those of rival operators O2, Vodafone and EE, but while 3’s MMS service may be competitive with those of the other MNOs in the U.K., it is anything but with those of the OTTs.   Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com

Tarifica Announces Major Findings From Latest Research

A recent survey by Tarifica of both SMBs and Enterprises in the U.S. found that a great majority plan to use hybrid services to transition from premises-based telephony (“CPE”), contact center and Unified Communications to similar services in the Cloud over the next three years. Only about a quarter of companies surveyed did not plan to use hybrid services for telephony or UC, while a slightly higher percentage did not plan to use hybrid contact center services. Of those planning to use hybrid services the majority expect to phase out their use of CPE-based applications over time in favor of total cloud solutions. 

“The high level of planned adoption of hybrid solutions found in the research was somewhat surprising,” said Ken Dolsky, Tarifica Program Director, “but it makes sense as a risk management approach. Customers are sold on many cloud benefits and are looking for ways to try it with non-mission critical applications before moving more important applications.” 

The study analyzed the differences in needs between SMBs and Enterprises regarding successful hybrid solutions. It also determined the current level of satisfaction with different hybrid application implementations. One key finding is that customers report being far more satisfied with cloud-based telephony implementations than those for UC and contact center (see chart ). The major issues with the two latter applications are based on poor performance on the part of service providers both in the planning/implementation process and in ongoing service support. However, less than half of the customers were satisfied with telephony hybrid solutions, showing that operators have their work cut out for them. “In many countries operator market shares are fairly static. The transition to cloud via hybrid solutions is extremely strategic as it provides operators the opportunity to change the market share dynamics in their countries. Those who can satisfy their customers could dominate this market for some time to come,” stated Richard Dorfman, Managing Director at Tarifica.  

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile, fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance.

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

Xiaomi Launches Its Own Mobile Service in China

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has launched its own mobile service in China. The service, called MiMobile, offers a SIM that works over China Telecom’s 2G/3G/4G network. The prepaid service charges CNY 0.10 (US $0.016) per minute, text or MB, and customers can also subscribe to a bundle of 3 GB data for CNY 59.00 (US $9.25) per month. Users also receive free roaming across China and free incoming calls. Xiaomi announced the new service at the presentation of its latest smartphone for the Chinese market, the Mi 4c, which will be priced at CNY 1299.00 (US $203.64) for 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage or CNY 1499.00 (US $234.99) with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The Mi 4c also supports infrared technology to replace common remote controls, such as for a TV or air conditioner, and Xiaomi’s EdgeTap technology to perform common functions with a simple tap of the phone. Xiaomi has been making worldwide waves with its smartphones, in overseas markets such as India, where expanding demand for data has driven demand for budget-priced devices. Now the aggressive manufacturer is expanding in a different direction by offering mobile service of its own as an MVNO, running on the network of China Telecom. Competing in China’s mobile market seems like a logical next step for Xiaomi. Offering the service via SIM will make it available as widely as possible, but MiMobile can also be seen as a way to drive device sales within China, where they have lately been doing less well than abroad. Users who do not have a 4G/LTE handset may be motivated by Xiaomi’s generous prepaid MVNO offer to upgrade to the new Mi 4c. Looking further ahead, the offer—even though it is on an MVNO basis—can be seen in the wider context of new challenges to the MNOs’ traditional offerings. Another handset manufacturer, Ericsson, recently announced that it will be offering voice calling via its own Wi-Fi-only devices. While we are not privy to Xiaomi’s future plans, offering OTT voice services tied to their devices would be an even more decisive end run around the MNOs.

Tarifica has been the leading provider of telecom pricing information for close to four decades. It maintains the most robust, in-depth and up-to-date pricing database in the industry, which includes mobile and fixed line rates from over 400 operators in 85 countries, as well as historical data going back to 1997. Tarifica also produces reports, surveys, publications and custom analyses.Its clients include carriers, regulators, enterprises and consultants in every region of the globe.For more information, please visit www.tarifica.com. Tarifica also maintains a presence on the following social media platforms:

    

Play Offers the Best Value Mobile Plans in Poland

A recent study by Tarifica found that Play’s mobile plans offer the best value for consumers.  

The study was conducted using the Tarifica Score™, a proprietary algorithm that ranks every available mobile plan based on the value they offer consumers. The formula incorporates all aspects of a mobile plan, including its usage allotments, data speeds, value added features and any promotions, and weighs these against the plan’s total costs, ultimately determining its consumer value. 

Plans are divided into two categories – “with phone” and “SIM-only” – each of which are then subdivided into five price-based subcategories. This setup allows consumers to find the best plan for the money after answering two simple questions:  

• Do I need a new phone with the plan? 
• What is my budget? 

Of the ten total categories, Play offered the Top Value Plan in seven, more than double all other mobile operators combined. This dominant performance was fueled primarily by the fact that Play’s plans tend to include greater service volumes, particularly for data, at lower prices than its competition. An example can be seen in a comparison of T-Mobile’s Jump Max plan and Play’s Formula Smartfon Unlimited. The former includes unlimited voice and SMS and 5GB of data for PLN 99, whereas the latter includes unlimited voice, unlimited SMS and unlimited data for only PLN 69.99– a full 30% less. When combined with Play’s competitive average download speeds, this advantage in volume versus cost propelled it to victory at virtually every price point.  

“From a value perspective, Play is simply the consumer’s best option. Its plans outpace those from every other Polish operator by a significant margin,” stated Edyta Krzton, Tarifica’s Poland analyst.  

Orange, Plus, and T-Mobile each tied for a distant second place, winning just one price category apiece. Of these, Plus stood out. The operator finished a close second to Play in a number of categories, even though it was ultimately only able to capture one. Orange and T-Mobile were relatively close to each other in terms of price and included features, but T-Mobile was generally able to edge out Orange’s plans based on its significantly higher average download speed.   

“In today’s mobile marketplace, consumers are flooded with hundreds of plan variations and constantly shifting promotions and deals—the majority of which come with different costs and services and access networks of differing strengths. When making a decision that will likely impact them for some time to come, consumers can use Tarifica Scores to cut through the clutter and identify those plans in every market segment that offer the best value for the money,” stated Tarifica Program Manager, Will Watts. 

Tarifica has been the leading provider of telecom pricing information for close to four decades. It maintains the most robust, in-depth and up-to-date pricing database in the industry, which includes mobile and fixed line rates from over 400 operators in 85 countries, as well as historical data going back to 1997. Tarifica also produces reports, surveys, publications and custom analyses.Its clients include carriers, regulators, enterprises and consultants in every region of the globe.For more information, please visit www.tarifica.com. Tarifica also maintains a presence on the following social media platforms: