Mobile subscribers mind good coverage first: Survey

BANGALORE, INDIA: "Good" coverage above all other attractive schemes has been established as the unequivocal reason for the subscribers' preference for a service provider of mobile telephony, according to a survey conducted by Opsbuds, the Bangalore based provider of Customer Experience Management and Market Research solutions for service providers.

From its recent survey, which adopted a three layered assessment of the minds of the mobile phone service users, Opsbuds found that bundle offers such as packaging handsets with free connection and widespread retail outlets are not a deciding factor for selecting a service provider by mobile phone users. On the contrary good coverage has been established as the singular top consideration across the circles.

Opsbuds’ survey coinciding soon after the introduction of the Mobile Number Portability(MNP) system, however, revealed several other factors that went to bond service providers with the subscribers.

The top of mind reason for preferring a service provider is good network coverage for 80 pc of the respondents which is the basic expectation of the service. The unaided reason for as many as 37 pc is brand image. Interestingly only on being aided a reason as little as 23 per cent indicated innovative tariff plans to choose a service provider. Even in the case of prepaid customers on being aided low denomination recharge (15 pc) and full recharge (13 pc) option featured as a reason.