Singular packs unlikely to benefit telcos, users: Industry executives
Telecom companies and phone users may not derive value from the regulator's proposal to bring back yesteryear SMS/voice/data-only packs, according to industry executives, who pointed out that such plans already exist for various durations.
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A top executive at one of the leading telcos said his company offers voice-only packs priced under '40 for feature-phone or old-age users. «In fact, for data, there are top-up options to recharge on hourly or daily basis. Therefore, we need to study the intent behind this proposal,» the executive said.
Data consumption has exploded in India, as such services are available for unlimited usage, along with complementary voice and SMS, he said. «Subscriber usage patterns fluctuate depending on their choice of video consumption, game streaming, etc. It is therefore difficult to determine the exact quantum of their need, and whether subscribers may be paying for services which they don't use.»
In fact, singular packs may curtail subscribers' need to access content, he added.
«Nearly 80% of telecom service usage is today being consumed through smartphones with substantial traffic travelling over data and also voice, whereas SMS in personal communication is almost negligible,» said Peeyush Vaish, TMT industry leader, Deloitte, South Asia. «To provide for that, service providers have introduced
