Total Pageviews

Friday, October 23, 2015

Free WhatsApp, Skype from Ooredoo; will other GCC operators follow? Rich nation zero rating

Free WhatsApp, Skype from Ooredoo; will other GCC operators follow? - Emirates 24|7:

"Mobile operator Ooredoo Kuwait  hopes providing domestic customers with free mobile data when using apps like WhatsApp and Skype can help it win back market share as part of a revamp of its operations, a senior executive told Reuters.

The company, majority-owned by Qatar's Ooredoo, had long vied with Zain to be Kuwait's No.1 mobile operator, but the 2008 launch of Viva Kuwait, a Saudi Telecom  affiliate, shook the sector.

Viva's aggressive pricing rapidly won customers, while Ooredoo Kuwait was slow to react to market changes and was last to introduce next-generation 4G networks.

"In Kuwait, market penetration is at an all-time high so the key is here how you get your customers to spend more on data," said Hani El-Kukhun, chief operating officer of Ooredoo Kuwait's domestic unit.

But - seemingly counter-intuitively to this strategy - his company in August began offering free access to so-called over-the-top (OTT) players such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber in many of its packages." 'via Blog this'

No comments: