Mobilcom, Jordan's second mobile service provider promised to enter the market “like a lion”, saying its pricing structure, announced on Wednesday, would “break down the barriers” to access to mobile phones and mobile phone services.
“People are not going to count minutes, but hours,” Vincent Brunet, chief marketing officer at MobileCom, boasted to reporters on Thursday. “MobileCom is giving people time to talk, and your bill isn't going to be your enemy any more.”
When Mobilecom, the GSM service of Jordan Telecom, launches its service today from “MobileCom City” at the Amman Motor Show — promising coverage of 94 percent of the Kingdom — it will bring an end to Fastlink's five-year monopoly over mobile services and for the first time up the ante in voice telephony.
“What we have witnessed over the past few months is a sign of change in the GSM [services sector],” said Brunet. “Prices have dropped, new services are being offered, and there are better offers to customers. We believe this is the first important impact of MobileCom on the market.”
In disclosing the company's pricing structure to reporters, the marketing chief said the new company would bring “new value” to Jordan in the “quality and range” of services and in “simple and easy to understand” offers.
Among the main features of the pricing is a single tariff within all calling plans “to eliminate confusion about tariff changes due to peak and off peak times, and calls to different networks or fixed lines,” said Jean-Luc Vuillemin, MobileCom chief executive officer.
MobileCom announced two post-paid offers, both of which will be offered free of deposit on national services, as opposed to the JD60 deposit required by its competitor, Brunet said.
MobileCom will levy a JD250 deposit on international dialing and roaming subscribers.
One plan, Club, offers a subscription price of JD35 per month and a tariff of 80 fils per minute, while the second, Kalimat, plan requires a JD17 subscription price, with tariffs ranging from 100-130 fils a minute, depending on the number of hours consumed. Both plans have a one-time connection fee of JD13.
The two post-paid offers and two pre-paid offers also come with the following free services: voice mail, call line identification, access to short message services, cost control service and call waiting/holding.
In the last few weeks, MobileCom has moved to outbid Fastlink for the affections of the former monopoly's committed customers and for the hearts, minds and pockets of thousands of would-be mobile service subscribers with its pre-launch incentive, ‘Ahlan.’
‘Ahlan’ was meant to entice customers with one-hour per month of free calling to all customers who signed up by the end of this year until January 2002, but also announced this week that signers-on would “enjoy the gift for a lifetime” due to the “unexpected public enthusiasm.”
According to Brunet, more than 250,000 people returned applications for the bonus once the service launches. The Ahlan incentive will be applied in addition to four hours of free national calling in the Club plan and one hour of free national calling in the Kalimat offer. — ( Jordan Times )
By Amy Henderson
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
