3 UK Introduces "Go Binge" With Zero-Rated TV Content

Mobile operator 3 UK announced a new data service called “Go Binge,” which will enable customers to watch and listen to Netflix, TVPlayer, SoundCloud and Deezer on their mobile devices without using any of their data allowances. To take advantage of the service, existing customers on any contract, SIM-only or broadband deal must move to a higher price plan. New customers on Advanced plans with 4 GB or above will automatically get the service.

To promote the launch of Go Binge, 3 UK has introduced the “Bed n Binge” luxury retreat, which it calls a “pop-up glamping experience” (glamping being a reference to “glamorous camping”). The retreat, which opened on 5 July, and lasted for five days in Osterley Park in Middlesex had people pay for a night at the retreat by binge-watching. Guests were handed a Samsung S8 or S8+ smartphone connected to 3 UK and invited to stay in one of 15 luxury cabins inspired by Netflix programs, such as Stranger Things, Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, Narcos and the new show, GLOW.

3 UK said Go Binge was created in response to the UK’s obsession with keeping up with the latest and most popular series, “no matter what the consequences, even if that means missing a social engagement or ‘cheat-watching’ on their partner.” A survey by the operator found that 21 percent of Brits say bingeing is now the only way they watch a TV series. Another 22 percent regularly binge content on the go. However, nearly 40 percent worry that streaming on the go will use up too much data.


Keeping up with and appropriately responding to consumer habits is key for mobile operators. The pop-cultural trend of binge-watching has been made possible by the internet-based delivery of TV content, which makes multiple episodes of a series available simultaneously. The increasingly prevalence of binge-watching over mobile devices causes the consumption of ever-larger amounts of data—and as 3 UK’s survey indicates, a sizable number of users have concerns about the amounts of data that their entertainment content will consume.

With that in mind, the operator is taking a bold step toward easing those concerns. By zero-rating the data not only for Netflix but for several popular streaming services, it is giving its subscribers powerful motivation to go ahead and binge-watch to their hearts’ content, without regard for the data quantities involved. The spirit of this offering is epitomized by the over-the-top “glamping” promotional event, which in addition to encouraging indulgence in data, also fosters self-identification with the Netflix content.

For the operator, there are several upsides to this data giveaway. First off, the terms of the promotion require existing users to upgrade their service in order to get access to the zero-rated content. The higher prices paid for the plans will over time offset, to some extent, the revenue lost on data charges from the zero-rating. Second, and more important, encouraging subscribers to use a lot more data will very likely affect their usage habits over time, which the operator can cash in on in the future. And finally, by acknowledging consumer desires and catering to them, the operator will be gaining the confidence and loyalty of its customer base. 



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 

oT Devices Used in Attack on U.S. Internet

The hackers who launched a distributed denial of service attack against the DNS provider Dyn late last week used hundred of thousands of connected devices such as baby monitors and home security cameras to infiltrate the networks. Dyn’s clients including Twitter, Netflix, Spotify, Airbnb, Reddit, Etsy, SoundCloud and The New York Times experienced internet service disruptions. Security experts have been warning for a while now that IoT connected devices can be infected with malware in order to cause disruptions of service across the internet. The gigantic, rapid growth of the IoT sector promises revenue to operators as well as device manufacturers, but this incident is a sobering reminder that humble connected devices used by unwitting consumers can provide easy entrance points to national and global networks. The IoT is an essential component of the worldwide telecommunications economy, but at present it appears to be an Achilles heel that needs tighter security.

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 

Twitter Offers Audio Streaming to Tweeters

Social media giant Twitter’s newly available service, Audio Card, will enable users to listen to audio directly on their timelines on both iOS and Android devices. Twitter will be partnering with several third parties, the first of which are Berlin-based digital music provider SoundCloud and iTunes, to bring music to tweeters. Users can enable the feature with a single tap while on Twitter, and they can dock the Audio Card, which will allow them to continue listening to audio as they are browsing within the Twitter app. In addition to musical artists such as Coldplay and Foo Fighters, who have shared music through the Twitter Audio Card, there have already been non-musical audio tweets from NASA, the Washington Post, the White House and the BBC World Service. Users of On SoundCloud, SoundCloud’s partner program that has been developed for artists and creators of all levels, will eventually be able to use Twitter Audio Card for their posts, as well.

This is not the first time that Twitter has tried to include music with its features and to become a multimedia network, perhaps to compete more directly with Facebook. In 2013, it launched the #Music app, which used Twitter activity and tweets to determine popular tracks and emerging artists. Users could then follow a link to listen to these songs from these tracks and artists. Most users did not find this convenient, nor did they necessarily want to listen to the same material as that of their followers. Twitter’s new partnership with SoundCloud—a company Twitter was once interested in buying—should be a more successful attempt because it will make streaming music much more convenient for Twitter users and because users will be able to listen to audio from personal friends, not just known artists or media.

Bringing this new media into Twitter’s text-heavy platform will not only be a good move for the social networking service, but it could also result in greater revenues for mobile operators as users spend longer amounts of time on Twitter because of the new content that it will be able to provide.

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