Celcom downplays MNP after getting too few users
KUALA LUMPUR: While mobile operator Celcom (M) Bhd sees mobile number portability (MNP) as an appropriate tool to attract customers from the business segment, it does not plan on investing significantly to promote the service.
Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly said the company’s MNP campaign had so far registered “very few subscribers”.
“So far, we have not seen a significant impact within the context of revenue and subscriber gain and we do not feel it is worth investing in products that attract very few subscribers,” he told a media briefing on Celcom’s third-quarter results yesterday.
However, business users who could not change the numbers they had advertised or printed on their name cards would find MNP appealing, he said.
Celcom’s subscriber base currently stands at 8.25 million with the net addition of 361,000 customers in the third quarter ended Sept 30.
Shazalli said over 90% of the subscribers were gained through non-MNP-related product offerings.
The Government formally launched the MNP initiative last month in a bid to boost competition among local mobile operators. It allows both prepaid and postpaid customers to switch mobile networks without the hassle of changing their phone numbers.
Going forward, Shazalli said Celcom would be focusing on winning market share in locations where it was not so prevalent.
“We are quite strong in rural areas especially in Sarawak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Kedah and Perlis. We are targeting urban areas like the Klang Valley where we have the lowest share in terms of subscriber base,” he said.
For the nine months ended Sept 30, Celcom reported a 28% jump in net profit to RM958mil on a 9.9% growth in revenue to RM4.14bil against RM3.76bil a year earlier.
The company’s third-quarter net profit grew 2% to RM327mil from RM321mil on a 3.1% rise in turnover to RM1.42bil.
Celcom’s average revenue per user (Arpu) in the third quarter under its postpaid segment was RM101 per month and prepaid Arpu RM47, while blended Arpu was RM57.
From www.mobile88.com.my
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