After suffering months of crippling handset delays, high profile accusations of poor coverage, customer care and service quality, Hutchison 3G are currently in a state of rebirth. The 3G operator can now boast an invigorated line up of devices, improved network coverage and a rapidly improving customer care organisation. When this is coupled with, by far and away, the most generous consumer tariffs in the market, now is the time for the incumbent mobile operators to regard 3 as being at their most dangerous.
Mako Analysis, a UK based mobile market analysis, research and consulting firm, has revealed that 3 have now addressed the majority of their weaknesses that dogged them during 2003 and are now in a battle ready state to take on the incumbent mobile phone operators.
A new report from the company also reveals that 3 are currently selling over 8,000 Nokia 7600 devices per week in the Carphone Warehouse chain. This total has beaten all previous connection records for 3 sales in the chain, which peaked last summer at 2,300 customers per week.
A spokesperson for Mako Analysis commented, "Its time for the likes of Vodafone and Orange to take another look at 3 as they have now resolved many of the issues that have been preventing the 3G operator from acquiring customers for some time." He continued, "3 have, for the first time, beaten all of the incumbent operator's weekly connection figures in the Carphone Warehouse chain, this should serve as a massive wake up call. This feat clearly illustrates the power of 3's tariffs when combined with a compelling device, 3 will soon have compelling devices in all channels which will result in record breaking connection figures for the operator."
He concluded, "3 are back in the market and are baying for blood, incumbent mobile operators will need to deploy some pretty impressive retention efforts in order to stem the number of customers leaving for 3. As discussed in the report, 3 do have their weaknesses but they will not remain so for long, the incumbent mobile operators have to apply pressure to these weaknesses sooner rather than later."
Posted to the site on 15th March 2004
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/10833.php