AIRTEL MAGIC SELLING A PRE-PAID CELLPHONE SERVICE
ALL SET TO CREATE MAGIC Contd..
In mid 2002, in an innovative move, Bharti entered into
a strategic tie-up with a leading Indian private sector bank, ICICI to offer
recharge facility for Magic cards users at the bank's ATMs5 across Andhra
Pradesh, Delhi and Kolkata. Commenting on this, Pawan Kapur, Chief
Executive, Bharti Mobile (Andhra Pradesh) said, It is another innovative
combination of customer benefit and technological advancement.
Bharti also focused on revamping of its pricing strategies from time to time
(at regular intervals) in order to stay ahead of competition. The company
charged different rates for incoming and outgoing calls depending on the
time when the call was made. For instance, customers in Delhi were charged
Rs 1.35 (per 30 seconds) and Rs 0.99 (per 30 seconds) for incoming calls in
the time slot of 8.00 am and 10.00 p.m. However, these rates were much lower
at night (outgoing calls cost only Rs 0.67 for 30 seconds, while incoming
calls cost Rs 0.49). In order to increase its penetration in the market,
Magic also came up with many special offers during mid and late 2002.
In mid 2002, Magic was made available at only Rs 290 (as against Rs 300
previously), which included Rs 90 worth free talk time valid for 7 days (as
against Rs 50 previously). One of its special launch offers included
providing free talk time worth Rs 290 to new subscribers (Rs 145 worth talk
time free at the end of the third month and the balance Rs 145 worth, at the
end of sixth month from the date of making the first call from magic card).
Free voice mail service was also offered to new subscribers for a period of
three months.
As a part of its efforts to expand its reach, Bharti offered and introduced
many special features for Magic subscribers. These included free caller line
identification, and innovative services like balance on screen (balance
amount displayed at the end of each call) and balance on demand (balance
amount derived by pressing specific numbers on the phone without making or
receiving a call). Bharti also introduced doorstep delivery of Magic cards
in mid-2002. Although the service was initially available only in Delhi and
Gurgaon (for a recharge value of Rs 500 and above), there were plans to
extend it to other circles as well.
In mid 2002, Bharti launched its regional roaming6
network in Asia for Magic subscribers. Under this offer, subscribers were
able to utilize roaming services in over 66 countries across the world,
underlying Europe, Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and
the US. This service was offered free of charge for calls placed through any Airtel network in India. Regional roaming facility was offered to customers
within the country as well in mid 2002. Apart from this, the company also
waived airtime charges on incoming calls between Airtel cellular customers
(intra-operator calls) in some parts of the country.
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Contd... |
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[5]
ATMs (automatic teller machines) interact with users and with the central
system of the concerned bank to execute a transaction (dispense cash and
print receipts). Customers wishing to recharge a Magic card were provided
the 16-digit recharge pin number through a printed receipt.
[6]
Roaming facility denotes a cellular phone's ability to receive and make
calls outside the customer's home calling area (service area). |
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Contents...
Casting The Celebrity Magic
Background Note
All Set To Create Magic
The Industry Strikes Back
The Future Far From Magical
Questions For Discussion
Exhibit I
Exhibit II
Exhibit III
Exhibit IV
Cellular Service Subscriber Base In India
Additional Readings & References
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