Thursday, July 16, 2009

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BTC cell plan enticements likely to boost competitiveness By INDERIA SAUNDERS ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ Inderia@nasguard.com: BTC is readying to increase the number of minutes associated with its post-paid packages — a move better tying customers to the corporation after liberalization. "Starting Monday we're launching new wholesale packages under the banner of 'More Talk'," said Marlon Johnson, vice-president of marketing. "In these packages that we have available now, we're increasing the number of minutes that will be made available to our customers at the same time we're introducing a pay-as-you-go package for post-paid customers that can allow them to pay for whatever it is that they consume." It's a deal being offered just before the telecommunications sector is liberalized, with never-before-seen competition expected to be thrown at the monopoly. It also comes as government officials announced in the House of Assembly Tuesday that invitations to participate in a pre-qualifying process are being sent out to potential purchasers of that 51 percent stake in BTC. Johnson asserts that the move to offer customers more value has little to do with the upcoming changes for the company and the sector, as a whole. He admits, however, that they may convert some of the pre-paid users over to post-paid accounts. In other, more developed markets, the latter are preferred by telecoms as generally more stable and less inclined to migrate to the competition. As it is now, persons with pre-paid phones just load minutes and airtime on their phones at their own convenience, whereas persons signed up to BTC's plan have monthly obligations to pay for minutes used and, in some cases, unused. Any success BTC has in nailing down more post-paid clients is apt to bolster its competitive edge as new players enter the cell market. That could happen as early as 18 months after privatization. "We want to do is encourage people who are heavy users to come over to the post-paid plan and make it more attractive for them," Johnson explained. "Our business decisions aren't driven by anything related to the privatization per say. "While we are cognizant of that reality, we make decision based on what we think is good for the company in terms of its customers." He points to a similar move made last year, one where the company eliminated fees for services like Caller ID and voicemail — bringing the plans more in line with North American, European and other world counterparts — some even in the Caribbean. "Our decisions are based on where we see the market going and what makes sense for both company and customers," he said. Wednesday, July 1, 2009