You signed on the dotted line, because you wanted the phone. Your business needed to get moving fast, and mobile communication was mission-critical.
A few years later, you start to look closely at your telecommunications costs, which have expanded along with your staff contingent. You fall off your chair. How did it get this way? The terrible part is that your staff are now welded to their cellphone numbers - re-defining your business mobile package will be a nightmare for everyone concerned. So you sign on the dotted line again, ignoring the rumbling protests from the CFO.
This is a familiar scenario in the business world. Now that everyone is well and truly connected, decision-makers are starting to dig a little deeper into the cost implications of constant mobile communication, and to question whether there are alternatives to what seemed, at the time, like the only deal in town.
We`ve recently emerged from the mobile adoption phase. This was the period where everyone, business people and private consumers, was getting connected. But now that we are all fully mobile, the industry is changing. A major part of that change is an increasing desire from subscribers for better options: more flexible packages and cheaper rates.
Unfortunately, digging into the world of mobile offerings is not an easy task - particularly because of the exclusive nature of the cellphone business. Quite understandably, the major networks are more intent on keeping you as a customer than they are on providing a full view of all the options available across the market.
It`s a classic scenario. Once you have a cell number, changing it is a major commitment - one that many businesses aren`t willing to make - despite potential cost savings. Reinforcing this scenario is a real lack of impartial information in the market.
Digging into the world of mobile offerings is not an easy task - particularly because of the exclusive nature of the cellphone business.
Doug Mattheus, marketing director, Nashua Mobile
Essentially, we have a three-tiered offering in SA. This means the majority of clients are likely to fall into the lap of one of three network providers. Given the seeming parity of products, prices and options across the networks, once you step over the retail threshold you`re likely to buy within the range of offers a specific network has presented.
However, the range of mobile package options is far wider than it seems. The trick, of course, is to gain a decent view of comparative offerings across the three networks. This is no easy task.
Consider your options. Either you cut out every cellphone ad you come across in the newspaper and line them up against each other, or you go from network to network, comparing costs. In either instance, the results are not guaranteed. You are, after all, faced with over 80 unique mobile package options and over 60 phones.
The only way to develop a true understanding of what the market as a whole is able to offer is to speak to an expert. Someone who works across all the networks in a professional capacity. Someone who is not tied to a particular brand or special offer. If you can achieve this, you will understand how much you could be saving on a monthly basis, and what the viable alternatives to the status quo actually are.
Indeed, should you find such an expert, hang on to him or her. They could be extremely valuable.
There`s no doubt that South African businesses and individuals are spending more on mobile communications than they should have to, because they are unable to negotiate the environment effectively.
People need to be aware of the fiscal value of a third-party independent information source. Hopefully in the future we will see this awareness picking up, and more sensible purchase decisions being made.
Nashua Mobile sponsors ITWeb`s cellular industry portal. Take technology advances, growing customer demands, a changing regulatory environment, ongoing competition and it becomes clear that this market will remain as dynamic as ever. This portal tracks the changes and challenges in this sector.
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