Vodafone Germany Tests First Driverless Train Controlled by 5G​

Telecom operator Vodafone Germany said that it has steered the first driverless train with its 5G network at the Smart Rail Connectivity Campus. The new mobile technology enabled bandwidths of more than 500 Mbps on the test track and reduced latency to less than 10 milliseconds. 

Vodafone remotely controlled the train using 5G network slicing. This allows different virtual networks to share a physical network structure. For the field test, Vodafone provided a separately tailored 5G network, so that optimal mobile radio capacities can always be available for remote control of the train, even if many users in the immediate vicinity use the network. In addition, the data is processed directly on-site in a Mobile Edge Cloud (MEC).

We have heard a great deal lately about the emerging technology of driverless cars and how 5G can make them more effective. However, we feel that driverless trains represent an excellent opportunity for operators to implement 5G, and in fact a less risky opportunity.

While there are various interpretations of the term “driverless” when it comes to motor vehicles (partial or full-assist automatic driving), there are serious risks involved in drivers giving up control to automated systems. News reports have recently informed us about serious and even fatal accidents involving driverless cars, and while the technology may eventually succeed in the marketplace, at the moment the public and municipalities have concerns that these cars may not be safe enough. So by investing heavily in 5G-powered driverless cars, MNOs may be gambling to a certain extent with their public image and their brands.

On the other hand, passengers on a train have already ceded control to the rail company, the train conductors and the automation technologies that the trains currently implement to avoid collisions. A fully automated 5G solution would simply be an extension of this situation. Therefore, by building business along the lines of what Vodafone is planning in Germany, MNOs could be cultivating a major source of revenue without as many risks—not only actual safety risks but the risk to their image as purveyors of reliable and safe products for consumers. 

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 

Less Than Half of SIMs in Germany Use High-Speed Networks

Only 47 percent of German SIM cards use 4G/LTE networks as of the end of 2018, according to the country’s Federal Network Agency. The agency cited many low-cost service providers that do not yet provide access to LTE, as well as end-users who hang onto older devices.

At the same time, spectrum licensing requirements are forcing mobile operators to focus more on LTE network coverage, in order to meet minimum speeds of 50 Mbps for at least 98 percent of households in Germany by the end of 2019. The report said this could cause problems for the consumers who still rely on 3G, as the spectrum is shifted to 4G and 5G networks. Mobile operators are already planning to shut down their 3G networks. Vodafone is aiming for the period 2020–21, and Deutsche Telekom is expected to phase out 3G coverage by the end of 2020.

Oliver Krischer, deputy leader of the Greens parliamentary group, said that more needed to be done to protect 3G users, including a two-year moratorium on decommissioning 3G network sites, according to a news report. Krischer also wants stronger rights for third-party service providers to gain access to LTE networks.

As the telecom speed race continues worldwide with great fanfare in the media, this report from a highly developed market is a timely reminder that many users are at risk of being left behind or already are left behind. It is quite startling to realize that in Europe’s largest national economy, more than half the connections are still 3G. Of course, the German government is taking a strong hand in pushing all operators—very much including budget MVNOs—toward high-speed service in the near future. But there is a substantial risk that as operators shut down 3G networks, legacy users will be negatively affected because they do not have LTE-compatible devices, let alone 5G devices.

Politicians such as Oliver Krischer are advocating for the protection of these users and for making it easier for smaller MNOs and MVNOs to deploy high-speed service. But the major operators should also realize that it is in their interest not to move ahead so quickly that they leave a significant portion of their own customers in the lurch. Keeping 3G networks active long enough for customers to comfortably make the transition to 4G/LTE is simply good business, from a retention point of view, and especially so given the large number of 3G SIMs. The number is so big that budget providers could hardly account for all of them.

If operators want to move everyone over to LTE as soon as possible and be able to phase out 3G, they should do everything they can to place LTE-compatible devices in the hands of their subscribers at affordable prices. And in the larger sense, a time of transition between old and new network technologies will also have to be a time of creative strategy in terms of keeping prices down. 

Tarifica’s products and services are powered by large-scale data from the global telecom industry and a deep level of expertise gained from our singular focus. We leverage these core attributes to help our clients understand their markets and answer their most challenging questions. Our team of analysts, software engineers and data scientists deliver real-time dynamic solutions for the telecom industry. Our software and state of the art data extraction techniques enable our clients to make smart decisions in real-time based on insightful, actionable data. We are the telecom plan & pricing experts.

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

Tarifica's 2018 Highlights

• Our sales grew by almost 100% in 2018, and close to 200% since 2016 and we now count many of the world’s leading operators as clients.

• Our growth was driven primarily by our suite of new software tools, including Arch, our digital intelligence platform, and our data science solutions.  These solutions include heat maps, elasticity models, customer price indices, hedonic modeling and a variety of other algorithms, visualizations and models designed to help clients better compete and more precisely align their offers and pricing schemes with customers’ needs and budgets. 

• Our staff was able to serve clients in all regions of the world, including in both developed and developing countries.

• Tarifica’s products and services now address the needs of more departments than ever before, including Customer Care, Data Science, Propositions,  Device Marketing, Marketing & PR, Market Intelligence and Regulatory Affairs, among others. 

• We’ve moved our headquarters.  Our new office is located at 747 Third Avenue in the heart of midtown Manhattan just blocks away from Grand Central Terminal, Central Park and the United Nations.  Let us know when you’re going to be in New York.  We’d love to have you stop by our new office to meet the team, get some great coffee and learn more about our software and data solutions. 

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 

Telstra Smart Home in Australia Features Amazon Echo

Australian operator Telstra has announced that, starting in February, it will be supporting Amazon’s voice-activated assistant Alexa on the Amazon Echo devices, and that it will integrate with Telstra Smart Home by the end of February. Alexa will be customized for the Australian market, connected to specifically Australian content sources, and with the virtual assistant provided with an Australian accent for her advent into that country’s market.
 
Australian customers will be able to ask Alexa to check the weather, traffic and sports scores, as well as to play music and set music alarms and timers. In addition to these functions, Telstra’s integration will allow Telstra Smart Home customers more opportunities to set up in-home automations and control their Telstra Smart Home compatible lights, smart plugs, and Zen thermostat, all through the Alexa service.
 
Australian customers will be able to purchase Amazon Echo (2nd generation) and Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) from Telstra stores and online starting in early February, with the Telstra Smart Home integration and a new bundle coming soon after.
 
 
Alexa is finally arriving in Australia, and Telstra is getting ahead of the game not only by moving quickly to support the service but by integrating its smart home offering with it. IoT technologies, which are growing exponentially worldwide, have provided huge opportunities for industry but also for consumers, in particular smart home systems. Forward-looking operators have identified these systems as an opportunity to provide value-added services that go well beyond traditional mobile and fixed offerings and help these operators achieve relevance in the changing marketplace.
 
Creating a proprietary smart home system instead of merely providing the data to drive a third-party system is a proactive approach for an operator such as Telstra to take. And now, integrating such a system with the Alexa assistant seems like the appropriate next step—and one that will furnish a great deal of seamless functionality.
 
Partnering with Amazon to make it possible for Telstra subscribers to control their Telstra Smart Home systems via Alexa makes a great deal of sense and will not only drive revenue to the operator (via data use as well as increased uptake of Telstra Smart Home systems) but also enhance its brand by association with Amazon’s very popular and long-awaited Alexa.

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 Global Insights Series

The pace of change in the mobile services industry is constantly accelerating. This means new opportunities will arrive faster than ever before and are likely to play out more quickly as well. Operators must watch carefully for these ‘waves of opportunities’ and quickly take advantage of them before they either become mainstream (and no longer have special value) or become obsolete as new disruptions impact the market.

The Tarifica Global Insights Series analyzes and reports on innovative practices in the development and marketing of consumer mobile plans. Each report describes a significant opportunity in mobile plan development and how operators are creating new plans in response to that opportunity. The series provides comprehensive, in-depth information that identifies best practices across more than 25 countries representing every region in the world, and enables operators to quickly and successfully take advantage of new strategies in plan development and marketing. The reports include case studies in multiple regions that describe best plan implementation and marketing practices that have enabled operators to quickly and successfully take advantage of new opportunities through innovative mobile plan development and marketing.

This series of reports is an important resource for operators that are searching for new and better ways to increase revenue and profits, desire to be perceived as leading edge ‘first movers,’ or need to defend their market share against disruptive offers from competitors. These reports enable operators to take advantage of Tarifica’s unique global vantage point to more quickly bring leading edge offers to market that capture new revenue opportunities.

The Tarifica Global Insights Series is an annual program comprised of four quarterly reports as shown below.

2016 Report Series 

QUARTER 1 (FEBRUARY 2016): Designed for Success – Developing Plans for the Youth and Student Demographic
 Globally, over half the world’s population is under the age of 30. While this percentage varies from country to country, the youth/student market segment has unique needs that must be understood in order to take advantage of this revenue opportunity. Moreover, when young people transition into adulthood and begin to make independent financial decisions, incumbency presents a unique opportunity for mobile operators to win long-term customers. This report will focus on the plans, promotions and other initiatives undertaken by operators to win and hold this key demographic.

QUARTER 2 (MAY 2016): Adapting to Changing Expectations – New Strategies for Pricing Smartphones and Pairing Them with Mobile Plans 
The practice of offering heavily subsidized devices tied to long-term plans no longer meets users’ needs for faster upgrades and shorter or more flexible contracts. As a result, operators are experimenting with numerous other models for selling high-end smartphones to their subscribers. This report will examine financing options, new phone replacement programs and other strategies aimed at helping consumers obtain smartphones and ramping up customers’ monthly mobile spend.

QUARTER 3 (AUGUST 2016): New Frontiers of Mobile Offerings –Partnerships with Streaming Audio and Video Services 
Operators around the world are exploring new revenue sources beyond mobile data. One approach is to partner with streaming media companies such as Spotify and Netflix. Mobile operators are increasingly offering plans with these services included or available as add-ons. This report will focus on the demographics and unique needs of this target market and their impact on plan structures, promotions, marketing practices and pricing. It will also analyze the differences among the various streaming services in terms of consumer perceptions.

QUARTER 4 (NOVEMBER 2016): Avoiding the ‘Dumb Pipe’ Trap – Innovative Approaches to Packaging and Pricing Data 
The decline in calling and messaging revenue has made many operators ever more dependent on data. This has made it difficult for operators to differentiate their offerings without lowering their per-GB price. Many mobile operators have been experimenting with new pricing models for their data to overcome this challenge. Among the many initiatives employed are offering time-limited data, having zero rated or dedicated data allowances for specific services/apps, offering rollover data, etc. This report will identify and analyze all of these tactics, with particular focus on their impact on consumer satisfaction, churn reduction and ARPU.

Analyst Support 

Every subscription comes with five hours of analyst support. Subscribers also receive one-on-one briefing sessions with Tarifica’s Analysts each quarter. Sessions, which include a Q&A format, are designed to help subscribers gain a further understanding of the strategies, innovations, trends and opportunities occurring worldwide in mobile plan development. A subscriber’s colleagues are welcome to attend these briefings.

Subscriber Benefits

The Tarifica Global Insights Series provides subscribers with two distinct layers of analysis:

First, the reports analyze how each service/strategy was deployed, branded and marketed. The reports dive deeply into every element of these plans (their included service volumes, one-time costs, recurring charges, restrictions, marketing campaigns, and more) to provide a comprehensive look at precisely how these plans are being designed and launched. This level of specificity is critical for operators seeking to create successful programs in their own market.

Second, these reports bring to bear worldwide examples and case studies analyzing the factors behind the success or failure of these new strategies. Subscribers to The Tarifica Global Insights Series will be able to learn from operators at the forefront of innovative practices and strategies. Subscribers will be able to view and compare many different versions of these strategies and understand the regional factors involved.

The Tarifica Global Insights Series provides meaningful business intelligence that can be used to design plans that decrease churn and win new customers. Each report evaluates the success/failure of strategies based on key performance indicators, assesses the ease/difficulty of replicating each approach and provides detailed sets of best practices for adapting the program to other markets.

The Tarifica Global Insights Series will facilitate subscribers’ efforts to increase revenue and profitability, gain market share, demonstrate innovative leadership and rapidly take advantage of new market opportunities.

Subscription Fee
The price for an annual subscription that includes all four quarterly reports, five hours of enquiry support and quarterly one-on-one briefings is US $15,000. The subscription fee will be reduced to US $10,000 for orders placed by 15 February 2016, representing a 33% early purchase discount.

About Tarifica
Tarifica is uniquely qualified to provide this series based on its singular focus on researching and analyzing mobile plans around the world. In maintaining the Tarifica Mobile Database, Tarifica’s research team tracks and catalogs every mobile plan, rate and offer from over 250 MNOs and MVNOs in 66 countries in every region of the globe. This effort enables Tarifica’s analysts to gain a broad understanding of the latest innovations in plan development occurring worldwide. With this new report series, Tarifica leverages this focus to highlight and analyze the most impactful strategies on a global level.

sales@tarifica.com

Tarifica

Nawras Offers Free Data for World Cup

Omani MNO Nawras has introduced the Sahra Time World Cup Edition offer, which will be in effect until the end of the World Cup (13 July 2014). Under the offer, users who make OMR 0.30 (US $0.78) worth of national calls per day will receive 1 GB of free mobile data once a day for use between the hours of 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. Users can also browse the popular sports website Kooora.com free of charge all day long. A monthly fee of OMR 0.50 (US $1.29) applies to this offer, which is available to customers of the Mousbak prepaid service and Shababiah service (targeted at the under-25 age group).

During the 2010 World Cup, one study found an increase of 24 percent in worldwide data traffic, with an increase of 22 percent in streaming and an increase of 32 percent in YouTube usage on the mornings after matches. With increased global adoption of smartphones and tablets and the growing availability of 4G speeds, the 2014 World Cup is expected to bring about an even greater increase in traffic. Nawras’ generous free data offer is attempting to capitalize on the popularity of soccer in Oman and on the rising trend of data use among its population. In 2013, Oman was the fastest-growing smartphone market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, with 65 percent of users reported to have switched to smartphones. Active mobile broadband subscriptions were measured at 64.02 percent of the population as of April 2014. With 1 GB of data, users should be able to watch one video in standard definition for at least an hour.

However, the period of time (12 a.m. to 12 p.m.) in which the free data is available for use largely fails to coincide with the live broadcast timings for the tournament (8 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.). The availability of the additional data allowance may encourage users to utilize their plan allowances for watching the live broadcast. Also, it may enable users to watch match highlights and more importantly, it may accustom users to the advantages of a larger data allowance. This could serve to promote higher uptake of Nawras data plans in the future. Users of the Mousbak and Shababiah services can purchase 4G data plans ranging from 1 GB to 10 GB (the 3 GB to 10 GB plans are newly introduced). On the whole, we think offers like this World Cup package are a good way for operators to encourage data use, not just to earn revenues in the present but to form data-use habits with an eye on future revenues.

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

U.K. Prime Minister Unhappy With Mobile Coverage

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has recently instructed his cabinet ministers to find ways to improve mobile coverage in the country’s rural areas. This directive follows a meeting that was held between the chief executives of the U.K.’s mobile operators and the country’s former culture secretary, Maria Miller, in Q1 2014 to start planning for an increase in rural mobile coverage. The new culture secretary, Sajid Javid, will take on the project and meet with MNO executives for a progress update. The operators were asked to explore, in particular, the costs of adding coverage to the A and B roads in the villages of Shropshire, Dorset and Norfolk. As part of these discussions, the U.K. government has asked that the prospect of national roaming be considered—an idea that the operators are resisting. They argue that revenues lost through national roaming could prevent them from investing in their own networks and infrastructure and that a better way to help increase coverage would be to decrease the amount of bureaucracy and cost involved in erecting masts (towers) in rural areas.

Over the last few years, the U. K. government has launched several initiatives to help bring increased mobile and broadband coverage to areas of the country where there is minimal coverage or none at all—known as “notspots.” Among these initiatives are the mobile infrastructure project (MIP) and Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK). However, both of these programs have received criticism. For example, BDUK has been accused of mismanaging funds, operating in an inefficient manner and favoring BT over the country’s other operators. This new order from the Prime Minister is separate from the previous endeavors, and although the country’s four largest MNOS are all increasing their investments in 4G services, the operators fear that the reasons behind the regulation have a number of different bases—the areas in which the government has asked for increased coverage are core Conservative Party voting territories.

 

“Although the U.K. communications regulator Ofcom must act within the powers and duties set for it by Parliament, and its principal duty is to further the interests of citizens and consumers—which include increased coverage in underserved areas—regulators also need to try to work with operators. Any undue pressure—possibly politically driven in this case—on the regulator to implement changes under the guise of increasing service in the telecom industry may be met with resistance by the operators.”

Kamely Hayes,

Managing Editor,

The Tarifica Alert

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

Mobile Operator Shark-Detection Technology

Australian fixed and mobile operator Optus has launched a research and development project  in cooperation with Shark Mitigation Systems, an Australian technology firm. The project aims to develop shark detection technology to protect humans and sharks throughout Australia and the world. The project’s device, called the Clever Buoy, uses sonar technology to detect shark-sized objects in coastal areas. When any are detected, the buoy will relay a signal to lifeguards on the beach via the Optus network, which can also use Google Plus to notify other relevant audiences. The Clever Buoy system is expected to be available for commercial purchase by mid-2015.

Highly targeted, location-specific niche products such as this can be a good bet for operators that partner with technology developers. If the Clever Buoy meets with favor among those municipalities and other entities that have to deal with the potential danger of shark attacks, Optus could certainly earn some revenue from sales of the system as well as from ensuing mobile connectivity charges. In addition, it will be able to burnish its image by providing a valued public service in an innovative manner. For those operators that have the financial wherewithal to spearhead such projects, the rewards can be well worth the investment.


The above item appeared in a recent issue of Tarifica's "The Story of The Week", a weekly report that analyzes two 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

Free International Roaming in Asia

Malaysian mobile operator U Mobile has launched free international roaming services for postpaid consumers traveling across Asia. Travelers to Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan will receive a 50 MB international roaming data allowance free of charge. Usage beyond this limit will be charged at pay-as-you-go rates, with a maximum of MYR 30.00 (US $9.33) per day. Travelers will have to manually select the partnering mobile networks, which are CamGSM (Cambodia), PCCW (Hong Kong), Telkomsel (Indonesia), Globe (Philippines), StarHub (Singapore), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan) and True (Thailand). This promotional offer is valid until 30 November 2014.

As free international roaming offers go, this one is limited in scope. It  provides an allowance of 50 MB per day of roaming data in select countries, on select partner networks only. In addition, at a pay-as-you-go rate of MYR 7.50 (US $2.33) per megabyte (which applies to all of the countries where roaming services are provided, except Vietnam), the roaming cap means an excess data allowance of 4 MB per day, which is very small.

However, this offer must be examined in light of other factors. It is the first free international roaming data offer to be launched in Malaysia. Market leader Maxis offers a data roaming plan for 100 countries with a cap of MYR 38.00 (US $11.82) per day. This offer is meant to promote U Mobile’s Unlimited 50 and Unlimited 80 plans, which were launched in January 2014, a month after U Mobile became the second operator to launch 4G services in Malaysia. These plans, priced at MYR 50.00 (US $15.55) and MYR 80.00 (US $24.88), respectively, provide unlimited on-net calls, unlimited data with a throttling threshold of 2 GB and 3 GB, respectively and allow sharing of minutes and data between up to three SIMs with a charge of MYR 10.00 (US $3.11) for each additional SIM. While 4G services are currently limited to small portions of the country, U Mobile’s 3G radio access network sharing agreement with Maxis is enabling it to provide 3G speeds across the country. This latest promotion, though limited in nature, adds some value to a competitive offer and indicates an aggressive strategy on the part of U Mobile, which aims to increase its market share from its current level of 10 percent to between 15 and 20 percent in the next five years.

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

Etisalat to Sell West African Assets to Maroc Telecom

UAE-based MNO Etisalat has reported that it will sell its operations in West Africa to Moroccan MNO Maroc Telecom for a sum of US $650 million. The deal will include the sale of Atlantique Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Etisalat with operations under the Moov brand in Benin, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Niger and Togo. It also includes Ivory Coast-based Prestige Telecom, which provides IT services to Etisalat’s operations in all of these countries. The operator’s subsidiary in Nigeria will not be part of the transaction, which requires competition and regulatory approvals in the six West African countries. The deal has been contingent on Etisalat’s planned acquisition of Vivendi’s 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom for €4.2 billion (US $5.7 billion), which was completed on 14 May 2014.

Vivendi, which is the parent company of French MNO SFR, has been in exclusive talks with Etisalat since July 2013 about the sale of its stake in Maroc Telecom after other bidders, including Qatar’s Ooredoo, dropped out. This sale is part of a larger move by Vivendi to focus on its more profitable media assets and has been viewed as a means to raise enough cash to write down its debts and sell SFR.

The deal has several positives for Etisalat. While the operator has a presence in 15 markets across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, its main source of revenue (at 66 percent of group revenues in Q1 2014) continues to be its home market. The UAE is a highly saturated market, which ranks highest in the world in terms of smartphone penetration (over 72 percent as of 2013). Competition is intensifying in the wake of the regulator’s elimination of the tariff approval requirement and introduction of mobile number portability in 2013. Saudi Arabia, the other Middle Eastern market in which Etisalat operates, has nearly as high a rate of mobile penetration and also will see the entry of three MVNOs. Therefore, diversification away from the Middle East makes sense.

However, some of Etisalat’s biggest international markets in terms of revenue generation, Egypt and Pakistan, have been affected by issues such as political instability and currency devaluation. Through the acquisition of Maroc Telecom, Etisalat not only gets an entry into Morocco with the leading market share of 47 percent (totaling 18.3 million subscribers), it also adds four other African countries (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali and Mauritania) to its portfolio and can leverage synergies that exist between operations in that region. Furthermore, placing its West African operations under the management of a successful regional operator may prove beneficial to Etisalat. 

However, it is worth noting that Maroc Telecom’s profitability in its home market has been hit by soft consumer spending and increasing competition. Bringing innovative offers to the market by leveraging the strengths of the two operators will be key to Etisalat’s future success with this acquisition.

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

Powerful Insights into the Pricing Strategies of Mobile Operators

Competitor Intelligence Graphic 2013

Tarifica’s Competitor Intelligence Report is a comprehensive quarterly report that provides powerful and clear insights into the offerings and pricing strategies of mobile operators, serving as an invaluable guide to trends in operators plans, prices and offers. Tarifica can produce this report on more than 300 mobile operators it tracks worldwide.

The Competitor Intelligence Report tracks and graphs every consumer and business offer from a selected mobile operator, examining all of its plans by price, service features, device type and other metrics.  In addition to the numerical and graphical data, each report includes an Executive Summary containing Tarifica’s analysis of noteworthy trends and developments in the operator’s offerings.  These insights are combined with the data to provide a deeper understanding of the factors driving the numbers and the strategy/thinking of each operator.

Plans and prices are presented in local currency — so there is no need to perform any conversion.  Subscribers receive four quarterly reports.  Each report contains data from the previous four quarters, resulting in a trend analysis covering a total of seven quarters in an annual subscription.

Each subscription includes access to the Tarifica Analyst responsible for producing the report. This analyst is available to interpret the data and to answer any follow-up questions.  In addition, every report is accompanied by Tarifica’s current rate file for the operator, which provides in-depth details on each of its plans and can be used to dig deeper into the data for more analysis. 

Each Competitor Intelligence Report is an exhaustive study that covers the full scope and evolution of a mobile operator’s consumer and business offers, providing operators, regulators and other industry participants with actionable intelligence on the competition.

Each Competitor Intelligence Report answers critical questions about a mobile operator, including:

 Competitor Intelligence Graphic 2013

¨ How many plans of each type are offered (Consumer/Business, Prepaid/Postpaid, Device Included/No Device, No Data/Data Only, etc.) and how is this changing?

¨ How does the operator price all of its current plans and services and how have these evolved?

¨ What new services are being rolled out and how extensively?

¨ How many device-specific plans are being created/modified and for which devices (e.g., Smartphone, Tablet, USB Modem)?

¨ How is the operator designing data only plans? For instance:

− Data Allowance

− Connection Speeds

− Price per GB

¨ What types of bundles are being designed, how are they being priced, how has this changed and what is driving these changes?

¨ What types of plans are being emphasized/deemphasized?

To Contact Tarifica's Research Team:  http://www.tarifica.com/contactus.aspx