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telecomspricing releases last snapshot of the 2020 Series - 20 titles covering hot topics

Telecomspricing has just realised its 159 SnapShot, the last one of its Tariff Trends SnapShot Service 2020 which brings it to 8th Series.

The last Snapshot of the 8th Series is looking at the Swiss market still dominated by Swisscom by over  50%. The Snapshot analysis what is on offer prior to UPC acquiring Sunrise and recent product announcement by the operators.

Snapshot 158 is looking at the Japanese market four months after the fourth network operator Rakuten Mobile entered in the market and analysis the responses from the operators and their sub-brands. 

Over the past eight years, telecomspricing has tracked and analysed the key changes in mobile services worldwide, the snapshot series provides a insight into many topics such as sub-brands, new services like FWA etc. 

• The impact of the disruptive MNO – with disruptive MNOs in France, Italy, Japan and others ensuring that all rivals follow their price points with additional service bundles.
• The impact of MNO consolidation – with MNO consolidation so far making little change in average pricing, but producing a reduction in entry level rates
• Rapid Smartphone penetration – with smartphones increasing penetration rates around the world, even in emerging markets with the sub-USD $100 smartphone
• The rise of the Integrated service bundle – with integrated bundles (calls, SMS & mobile data) being available across all markets driven by the smartphone
• The adoption of LTE 5G services – with 5G launches by over 50 operators some markets with no distinction between 5G and 4G pricing
• The blurring between Pre Pay & Post Pay services – In many markets, such as Italy, France & the USA, the rise of the no contract (or as T-Mobile USA describes it, the “un-carrier”) package with no handset subsidy has erased the distinction between Pre Pay and Post Pay services. 
• The move towards FMC services:  There will be a new introduction of Fixed Mobile Converged (FMC) services, with theaim of increasing revenues and reducing churn.  “Convergence, the bedrock of our strategy “ according to Orange.
• The decline in disruptive pricing, mostly – worldwide – There has been a trend towards more stability in pricing, with more rational pricing strategies adopted.
• The use of mobile content – Mobile content is being provided as a differentiator in both Emerging Markets and Mature Markets, on top of an Integrated Bundle of Calls, SMS & Mobile Data, with content including sports content, film & TV and music streaming as well as including social media into bundles.
• The rise of Premium Bundles – As Integrated Bundles become more widespread, MNOs are seeking to differentiate their services by adding additional services, including international call or roaming bundles.
• Roaming services are becoming more like home – Although the EU has taken the lead in reducing roaming rates close to domestic rates, other regions around the world have also followed suit.
• Pricing changes include – The introduction of low cost smartphones worldwide, and the reduction in the amount of handset subsidies with usage bundles, remain the two key trends driving pricing over the past 5 year period.
• Move towards flexible pricing - Increasingly, operators launch flexibile offers allowing customers to adjust on a monthly basis and choose from the inclusive allowances.
• Customer retention - The move to offer loyalty schemes, discounts for longer term customers, special offers for different segments such as the youth, senior, kids market are just a couple of initiatives used to keep customers, and reduce churn. 
• Reducing costs - MNOs continue to introduce their own Apps allowing self-service as a means of reducing distribution costs.

For the next years, TCL believes future trends will be driven by four main trends that are already apparent including:

• Smartphone penetration levels – which will continue to rise in emerging markets with low cost devices becoming the standard device to access the internet.
• The distinction between Post Pay and Pre Pay services will continue to narrow – as usage bundles, tailored for different user segments and content will become more widespread driven by analytics.
• The move towards personalisation with offering increasingly flexi offers  
• In Europe and also the USA - roaming and international usage bundles are being integrated with bundles as a source of differentiation, but as mobile markets mature over time, roaming and international services are set to be incorporated into premium bundles in other markets.

Some quote of how operators see their next few years:

Wind Tre CIO Rob Visser said operators must not forget the human element, with reskilling employees seen as central to the Italian company’s strategy. “There is only one budget that is unlimited and that’s our training budget. We really incentivise people to become experts in AI and machine learning, whereas to be honest those things don’t exist [on their own]. There is no machine that learns, there is no artificial intelligence, it’s human intelligence.” Commenting on vendor marketing and pressure towards digitalisation, he added: “I don’t believe digital is a strategy in itself. Digital is not a goal, it’s a means. We don’t have a digital strategy, we have a strategy to make our customers happy.”

Telus digital solutions VP Harry McIntosh  said its digital efforts were not so it could be “a better telco, but a better business”, adding the strategy was “not about digital KPIs but company KPIs.”

Orange set out its strategic plan  Engage 2025  with a focus on offering retail and wholesale customers enhanced connectivity, strengthening its leadership in more open and higher-valued infrastructures, making ake Orange MEA the reference digital operator in Africa & the Middle East and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model for a reinvented customer experience.

Telstra's T22 strategy relased in 2018 focus was on set on four key pillars:

• Radically simplify our product offerings, eliminate customer pain points and create all digital experiences
• Establish a standalone infrastructure business unit to drive performance and set up optionality post the nbn rollout
• Greatly simplify our structure and ways of working to empower our people and serve our customers