Portugal Telecom Launches Taxi App.

Portugal Telecom has introduced Meo Taxi, which enables users to call taxis in of Lisbon and Porto. The free app can be used on any network and is available for iOS and Android. The service will soon be expanded to other Portuguese cities. After downloading the Meo Taxi app on their smartphones, users can request a taxi without having to make a phone call. The app pinpoints the user’s location, which is then automatically routed to the taxi driver who is closest.

Meo Taxi seems like a good idea in terms of increasing customer satisfaction by delivering a targeted, value-added service. In addition, as it appears to be a competitor to entities such as Uber, it affords an example of how MNOs can bring such offerings in-house and possibly make more revenue from them—from fees charged to the taxis or to consumers—than they would as mere data conduits for third-party app-based services.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of Tarifica's "The Story of The Week", a weekly report that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. For past issues or to learn more about The Story of The Week :  http://www.tarifica.com/storyoftheweek.aspx  

Many Consumers Unaware Of Throttling.

Vodafone Portugal Offers New Subscription Program for Business Customers

Vodafone Portugal, in partnership with PIE Group, a company that specializes exclusively in developing solutions for management and control, has launched “Factura na Hora,” a new business management solution for its business subscribers. This new system provides complete mobility, a tablet or smartphone app for Android, automatic cloud-based backup service  and data recovery in case of loss or theft of equipment. Additionally, it allows users to check documents such as invoices and reports, manage accounts of clients and vendors, and create and remotely change information on all the equipment using the same application. There are three different subscription options available: Vodafone Factura na Hora Sync for €9.90 (US $13.45) per month, which synchronizes information from different devices, Vodafone Factura na Hora Light for €19.90 (US $27.04) per month, which allows users to issue invoices, delivery notes, reports and other documents and Vodafone Factura na Hora Pro for €24.90 (US $33.84) per month, which provides the option of managing suppliers’ accounts and inventory, as well as allowing users to issue invoices, delivery notes and reports.

Portugal’s mobile market is dominated by three operators, MEO (Portugal Telecom), Vodafone and Optimus. It has high mobile penetration, partly due to the popularity of using multiple SIM cards. The environment is very competitive, so operators have to constantly create innovative offers to attract new customers and satisfy existing ones. Vodafone’s new offer allows subscribers to choose the option that best fits their needs. As we have written previously, in order to provide specific services, very often operators create unique relationships with other companies, such as the one developed by Vodafone and PIE Group. Those partnerships are a viable source of revenue for both parties. Additionally, they help mobile operators go beyond the basic, traditional range of offerings. Even though this new program targets only business customers, we believe it is a likely source of revenue.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. To access all of the latest articles and issues:  http://www.tarifica.com/TarificaAlert.aspx