The price is right for small telcos

After a long period keeping silent, Vietnam’s seventh telecom player Beeline has launched big discount policies to subscribers.

First, it offered to put money into subscriber accounts for each minute the subscribers call other network users.

Beeline has marketed the ‘Billionaire’ fare package allowing subscribers to benefit from charge-free internal network calls valued at VND1 billion ($48,300) if they top up at least VND20,000 into their account on the condition they will top up at least a VND20,000 purchase card amount per month in the following months.

Besides, the player also offered fare exemptions for internal network calls from the second to 20^th minute. In which, the fare rate applied to first minute and the 21^st minute onwards is VND1,350. In addition, every Thursday its subscribers get a reward of 100 per cent of a card’s value if they top up credit in their accounts.

Beeline’s fare promotion is a reverse of its top executive’s announcement that the network would not jump into a price race or sell services at rates lower than actual service costs.

Shortly after Beeline’s launch of the ‘Billionaire’ package, Vietnamoble rolled out the ‘Northern sim card’ fare package, allowing the subscribers in 26 northern locations to call each other at half of normal rates at VND680 per minute. Besides, the subscribers also get a reward of 100 per cent of a card’s value for the first 10 cards within six months from the sim card activation date.

Besides, to better its image the player injected billions of dong to encourage users to compose songs or contribute useful ideas to help it ameliorate brand value.

S-Fone came up with less shocking promotion programmes. It offered loyal customers with 100 giveaways being mobile phones and enclosed sim cards valued at around VND45 million ($2,200). Besides, the mobile network gave 100 per cent card value reward to new subscribers several times in a month.

Industry experts said attractive fares and promotional policies were key for small telecom players to woo customers.