Category Archives: Consulting

Analysis, Consulting, Fixed-mobile convergence, Go-to-market, References

Quad and convergent play: tefficient provides fact-based recommendations

quad signAnalysis & Go-to-market, 2014

How have operators introduced mobile-fixed convergent quad-play in Europe’s most advanced markets France, Spain, Portugal – and in emerging quad markets like Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Germany? How has competition reacted?

Using facts: How have these quad introductions affected market share, churn, acquisition & retention cost, demand for mobile, fibre-speed broadband and TV – and revenue and margin? Which defensive actions can non-convergent operators take?

Which factors can be attributed to effective take-up of quad play? Market share, fibre deployment and homepass, TV offers, exclusive content – or is it just about bundling discounts? What discount levels are we talking about?

Based on international facts and best practice, what would tefficient recommend? Taking local conditions, operator strategy and market position into account.

Commissioned by two operators.

Blog, equipment sales, Shared plans

Why “grandfathering” is a four letter word inside Verizon and AT&T

Verizon It’s been more than two years since the June 2012 launch of Verizon’s shared data plan which took out all other Verizon postpaid plans at one go. From this point on, new Verizon customers (or prolonging customers) had to take the Share Everything plan (later renamed More Everything). The initiative was Verizon’s final attempt to get rid of unlimited data and make usage-based data monetisation a reality.

Since the standard US postpaid contract is running for 24 months, we should after two years consequently see a 100% adoption of Share/More Everything within Verizon’s postpaid accounts? No, it is 55%.

at&t logoVerizon’s primary competitor, AT&T, launched their shared data plan, Mobile Share, in August 2012. Unlike Verizon, they kept other postpaid plans available to begin with. More than one year later, in October 2013, Mobile Share was eventually made the only plan. AT&T reports that 56% of their postpaid SIMs are on Mobile Share. Still not 100%.

In its Q2 reporting of yesterday, AT&T says that 80% of postpaid smartphone subscribers are on usage-based data plans. Leaving 20% of smartphone subscribers (plus a bunch of data-only subscribers – no reporting for that segment) that still are unlimited.

Verizon and AT&T’s principal method to convince customers to let go of their unlimited plans has been equipment subsidy: You wouldn’t get any unless you go for the new plans.

But T-Mobile’s disruption of the subsidy model – later embraced by AT&T and (somewhat reluctantly) implemented by Verizon – has led to US customers shifting away from subsidy, instead going for installment plans or BYOD. And with these models, customers can easier hold onto their grandfathered unlimited data plans.

Analysis, Consulting, Fixed-mobile convergence

Is quad-play just a response to weakened customer loyalty in triple-play? With mobile as giveaway?

quad signPress release

The reporting of Telefónica, PT and Orange show that quad-play is a hit in Spain, Portugal and France. Vodafone used 14,9 billion EUR to acquire cablecos in Germany and Spain – to enable quad.

Operators need to be realistic about the positives quad-play can bring and use facts to spot best practice. tefficient’s framework provides a great start if entering quad – or facing competition that do.

Analysis, Blog, Fixed-mobile convergence, TV

Quad-winds blowing from Southwest Europe

Quad wind direction3At tefficient, we’ve built a comprehensive before/after analysis framework of the results operators have achieved when transforming their offers from single-service to quad-play.

There are many indications that quad-play is about to become the new European standard: Telekom will go quad-play in Germany during 2014; Vodafone has acquired Kabel Deutschland and Ono to go beyond mobile-only; TeliaSonera reorganised 1 April to converge fixed and mobile on a national basis.

Quad is propagating over Europe with south-westerly winds. The map above shows the wind direction: From Portugal, Spain and France towards Central and North Europe.

Quad pyramid

The first step towards true quad is often what we call light quad – a discount that a customer gets if he or she adds mobile to triple-play. In this case, it’s typically not very prominent in operator’s marketing, there’s typically no product brand name, and far from the straight-forward pitch of true quad operators.

The current position of European operators – who have quad capability – is seen in our quad pyramid above. The arrows indicate operators that are seen to take action to move upwards.

Through our before/after analysis, we’ve spotted several very interesting outcomes – best as well as worst practices. These can be used to either prepare your own journey into quad – or understand how to best defend against quad-capable competitors.

Analysis, Consulting, data monetisation, Go-to-market, References, Shared plans

Shared plans: Providing fact-based recommendations

Analysis & Consulting, 2014

How have mobile operators introduced single- and multi-user shared plans in USA, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Canada and the UK? Which business results have operators achieved and how has competition reacted? Which modifications have been necessary and when? Can the same customer loyalty effects be achieved without the heavy implementation of multi-user shared plans? Which defensive actions have proven to be most successful?

Based on these international facts and best practice, what would tefficient recommend? Taking local conditions, operator strategy and market position into account.

Commissioned twice by two different operators.

Analysis, Consulting, data monetisation, Go-to-market, References

How to best monetise mobile data: Providing fact-based recommendations

Analysis & Go-to-market, 2013

How are mobile operators monetising mobile data in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark – and in a few other international markets? Which changes have operators made to their monetisation models during the past years? How have these changes affected business results and how has competition responded?

Based on these international facts and best practice, what would tefficient recommend when it comes to e.g. volume caps, overage policy, throughput tiers and shared plans? Taking local conditions, operator strategy and market position into account.

Commissioned by an operator.

Analysis, Consulting, Go-to-market, References, Wi-Fi

Workshop: How to include Wi-Fi in mobile data monetisation

Analysis & Consulting, 2013

Which operators in the world have advanced the furthest in incorporating operator Wi-Fi – based on hotspots and/or homespots – into a solution to offload mobile data and enhance the mobility of Wi-Fi-only devices? Which are their figures? What are the strategies and drivers behind? How has monetisation been solved? Are strategies different for telcos, cellcos and cablecos?

How should we apply what’s happening elsewhere onto our local competitive context? What should we be prepared for?

tefficient was asked to prepare and faciliate a workshop – focusing on these questions – for key stakeholders within an international operator group.

Analysis, Fixed-mobile convergence

Quad-play: A competitive necessity?

quad signTriggered by Vodafone’s 7,7 BEUR cash offer for cableco Kabel Deutschland and the emphasis Vodafone has put on communicating the importance of being able to offer quad-play (fixed broadband, TV, voice and mobile) in the German market, the question has to be asked: Isquad-play a competitive necessity?

This analysis compares data from operators that have taken the quad-play road: Orange France, SFR, Movistar Spain, Virgin Media, Swisscom, TDC and Orange Poland.

Their take-up might be impressive – driven by significant discounts – but what effect has it had on customer loyalty?

Download analysis: tefficient public industry analysis 9 2013 Multi-play

4G LTE, Analysis, Consulting, Go-to-market, References

Guest speaker at Comptel’s MWC stand 2013

Analysis and Consulting, 2013

Comptel MWC presentationAnalysis of operator business upsides and downsides when launching 4G LTE. Commissioned by Comptel. Live presentation of an extract of the analysis, titled “Pinpoint the right customers: LTE handsets in wrong hands will dilute margin” to Comptel’s customers at two occasions during MWC in Barcelona.

A special analysis, commissioned by Comptel was launched shortly after.

See this 1 minute video summary interview:

http://youtu.be/yK_5ExLSIIk

Comptel’s original blog: comptelblog.com/2013/02/is-there-an-monetization-upside-using-analytics-when-launching-lte/