Mobile Prepaid Research Articles

Moderating Role of Worth of Win-Back Offer on the Relationship of Post Purchase Regret, Relational Bonds, and Prior Experience with Switch Back Intentions Among Prepaid Mobile Subscribers

Research on customer switch back intention in the telecommunication sector provides insights into customer behaviour, identifies key drivers, assesses satisfaction levels, evaluates competitors, enhances customer retention strategies, and enables predictive analytics. Such research is crucial for telecommunication companies to understand their customers better, improve their offerings, and effectively retain customers in a highly competitive market. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of post-purchase regret, relational bonds, and prior experience on switch back intentions among prepaid mobile subscribers. Additionally, it examines the moderating role of the worth of win-back offer on this relationship. The study employs Attribution Theory as a theoretical framework to develop and test the research model. Data were collected from 345 prepaid mobile subscribers, and the structural equation modelling technique was used for data analysis. Results indicate that post-purchase regret, relational social capital, and prior experience have a significant impact on switch back intentions. The study also finds that the worth of win-back offer moderates the relationship between prior experience and switch back intentions. However, it does not moderate the relationship between post-purchase regret and switch back intentions. These findings provide valuable insights for mobile service providers to understand the factors that influence customers' switch back intentions and to develop effective win-back strategies..

Customer Churn Prediction for Imbalanced Class Distribution of Data in Business Sector

Churners are those people who are about to transfer their business to a competitor or simply who cancel a subscription to a service. This paper is based on a specific business sector, which is telecommunication sector. With a churn rate of 30%, the telecommunication sector takes the first place on the list. In this paper, we present some advanced data mining methodologies which predicts customer churn in the pre-paid mobile telecommunications industry using a call detail records dataset. To implement the predictive models, we initially propose and then apply four machine learning algorithms: Random Forest, Naïve Bayes, Logistic Regression, and XG Boost. To evaluate the models, we use various evaluation metrics and find the best model which will be suitable for any class imbalanced data and also our business case. This paper can also be viewed as a comparative study on the most popular machine learning methods applied to the challenging problem of customer churn prediction.

Customer Perception in Selection of Prepaid Mobile Services

India, the rampant heading country in the telecommunication sector, shows predominant growth in mobile subscription through rigor rural penetration. Tangentially the rate of monthly customer churn is very high when compared with other countries across the globe. Mobile churn is very alarming particularly in prepaid segment against postpaid. This slowly triggers the mobile segment to endure the stage of saturation. Hence it is significantly emergent for the mobile operators to investigate the exact map of the customers’ perception to select the mobile operators based on the attributes of prepaid mobile services. This study focuses on the causes for the customers to select specific service providers and to gauge their level of satisfaction on the corresponding mobile services. This research will affirm the mobile operators to slot in the essential strategies to increase the level of customer loyalty.

TRANSFORMAÇÕES NO MERCADO DE TELEFONIA MÓVEL DE CLASSES POPULARES

Em 2018 completa 20 anos do surgimento dos planos pré-pagos de celular no Brasil, tipo de plano que ajudou na popularização do uso dos celulares. Nesse período pode-se observar, ano a ano, expressivas altas de adoção dessa tecnologia em todas as camadas sociais brasileiras, apesar de nos últimos anos haver registro de quedas de utilização do celular no país.

Pro-competitive regulatory policies for post-paid and pre-paid mobile phone markets

There are two types of switching costs when users change their mobile operator. The first stems from price discrimination when the network charges a lower price for on-net than for off-net calls. If the majority of the switching user?s contacts are in their current network, this imposes an obstacle to changing the network, since in the new network they would have to pay a higher price for off-net calls. The other switching cost results from the switching user having to inform all their contacts about their new number in the other network. Mobile phone number portability (NP) reduces this switching cost. This paper?s aim is to determine pro-competitive regulatory policies for the post-paid and pre-paid market segments. This distinction is important since the post-paid market dominates in developed countries, while in less developed countries the prepaid market dominates. There are two operators in our model, the incumbent and a new entrant. In the postpaid market, NP reduces the level of market concentration. In the pre-paid market, NP has no impact on the convergence of market shares, and the reduction of access charges (the fee for terminating calls in the rival network) turns out to be a pro-competitive regulatory policy. There is no need for asymmetric access regulation where the incumbent pays higher access charges than the new entrant.

Connecting the dots in e-commerce payments: An interview with Ralf Ohlhausen

In Europe and other mature markets, things such as bank-transfer payment methods, e-wallets, prepaid cards and mobile wallets are considered alternative payment methods. These also exist in developing markets but are the preserve of a minority of very high-net-worth consumers. More commonly in developing markets, alternative payment methods comprise such things as cash-payment schemes — which allow a user to shop online but pay at a participating store — and pre-paid mobile money apps. PPRO is a wholesaler of payment methods. It aggregates local payment methods and integrates them into its application programming interface (API). Payment service providers, card acquirers and marketplaces work with PPRO, integrating the API with their systems, so that they can provide their merchants with access to a whole range of local alternative payment methods. The European payments landscape is also under the continuous scrutiny of various actors, including regulators. In this interview, Ralf Ohlhausen discusses the specifics of the e-commerce payments industry and how recent developments are affecting the payment space.

Mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation.

Access to mobile phones continues to increase exponentially globally, outstripping access to fixed telephone lines, fixed computers and the Internet. Mobile phones are an appropriate and effective option for the delivery of smoking cessation support in some contexts. This review updates the evidence on the effectiveness of mobile phone-based smoking cessation interventions. To determine whether mobile phone-based smoking cessation interventions increase smoking cessation in people who smoke and want to quit. For the most recent update, we searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialised Register in April 2015. We also searched the UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio for current projects in the UK, and the ClinicalTrials.gov register for ongoing or recently completed studies. We searched through the reference lists of identified studies and attempted to contact the authors of ongoing studies. We applied no restrictions on language or publication date. We included randomised or quasi-randomised trials. Participants were smokers of any age who wanted to quit. Studies were those examining any type of mobile phone-based intervention for smoking cessation. This included any intervention aimed at mobile phone users, based around delivery via mobile phone, and using any functions or applications that can be used or sent via a mobile phone. Review authors extracted information on risk of bias and methodological details using a standardised form. We considered participants who dropped out of the trials or were lost to follow-up to be smoking. We calculated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each included study. Meta-analysis of the included studies used the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect method. Where meta-analysis was not possible, we presented a narrative summary and descriptive statistics. This updated search identified 12 studies with six-month smoking cessation outcomes, including seven studies completed since the previous review. The interventions were predominantly text messaging-based, although several paired text messaging with in-person visits or initial assessments. Two studies gave pre-paid mobile phones to low-income human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive populations - one solely for phone counselling, the other also included text messaging. One study used text messages to link to video messages. Control programmes varied widely. Studies were pooled according to outcomes - some providing measures of continuous abstinence or repeated measures of point prevalence; others only providing 7-day point prevalence abstinence. All 12 studies pooled using their most rigorous 26-week measures of abstinence provided an RR of 1.67 (95% CI 1.46 to 1.90; I(2) = 59%). Six studies verified quitting biochemically at six months (RR 1.83; 95% CI 1.54 to 2.19). The current evidence supports a beneficial impact of mobile phone-based smoking cessation interventions on six-month cessation outcomes. While all studies were good quality, the fact that those studies with biochemical verification of quitting status demonstrated an even higher chance of quitting further supports the positive findings. However, it should be noted that most included studies were of text message interventions in high-income countries with good tobacco control policies. Therefore, caution should be taken in generalising these results outside of this type of intervention and context.

Influence of Brand Oriented Factors on Customer Loyalty of Prepaid Mobile Services

The Indian telecom industry is a very dynamic industry with very stiff competition amongst existing service providers in the telecom market. One of the major drivers of this industry has been mobile telephony. But due to increasing competition, maintaining a loyal consumer base seems to be a challenge for the Indian cellular service providers. Customer loyalty and retention towards a specific brand have become important goals for them. In this context the present paper focuses on the influence of brand oriented factors to ensure customer retention and enhancing loyalty. Literature review was carried out covering the theoretical and empirical work. Exploratory interviews were conducted on 500 customers and factor analysis was conducted to determine the factors which influence customer loyalty towards a specific brand of prepaid cellular service provider. Regression analysis was further done to understand the relation of the identified branding factors to customer loyaltyKeywords: Branding, Cellular Mobile Service Industry, Customer Loyalty, Customer Retention

Determinants of Prepaid Mobile Service Providers: Evidence from Agartala

The study has taken twin objectives to find the determinants of service providers and to report the problems the respondents are exposed to in accessing the prepaid mobile services in Agartala. Based on a pre-tested interview-schedule, a sample size of 183 respondents, the empirical results have indicated that the principal influencing factors in choosing a service provider include customer care & facility, network coverage, tariff plan & recharge facilities. A significant relationship has been established between the gender of the respondents and their choice of service provider. The decision for subscription is further significantly influenced by their experiences of unsatisfactory services. Policy implications are derived from the study and it acknowledges few limitations.

An Empirical Model on Customers' Perception in the Selection of Indian Prepaid Mobile Services

India, a leading country in the telecommunication sector, has shown remarkable growth in prepaid mobile subscriptions through rigorous rural penetration. At the same time, the rate of monthly customer attrition is very high when compared with other countries across the globe. Customer churn is very aggressive, particularly in the prepaid segment, when compared with the postpaid segment. Hence, it is decidedly imperative for the mobile operators to comprehend the exact preferences of the customers to select the mobile operators based on prepaid mobile services attributes. Thus, the purpose of the present paper was to examine the reasons for the customers to select specific service providers and to develop a business model based on the operational strategies for the prepaid mobile segment. Descriptive research method was adopted for the present study, and by using a structured questionnaire, the survey method was undertaken. A total of1102 sample respondents from 10 cities across Tamil Nadu participated in the study (using purposive sampling method). The factors related to technology based customer care services, accessibility, roaming charges, network coverage, and call charges were found to be acting as drivers for the customers to select a specific service provider. Based on this analysis, an empirical business model was designed by integrating the respective marketing elements and operational key areas to improve the business portfolio of the mobile service providers. Finally, operational strategies were recommended based on the current market scenario.

Churn Analytics on Indian Prepaid Mobile Services

India, the second largest in telecommunication industry facing acute rise in mobile churn. Churn rate is very high in prepaid segment when compared with postpaid in India. Even though marketers are devoting huge investments on retention campaigning they could not arrest the churn rate. Many attractive promotional schemes and packages were offered to retain the prepaid customers as the cost of acquisition is very expensive. They were all found to be ineffective since churn rate is pungently alarming every day in prepaid scenario. Hence it is highly imperative to devise proactive retention strategies by percolating the operational churn factors and to design predictive model to stem out the churn rate in India. Thus this study focuses on the factors influencing churn in prepaid segment and conceptual predictive model using neural networks to enervate customer churn.

Value Added Service and Service Quality from the Customer’s Perspective: An Empirical Investigation in Thai Telecommunication Industry

Increasing global competition has led to an intensively competitive market among service providers. Several organizations have created and developed a variety of products or services; in particular the telecommunications industry has developed mobile phone services. Various value-added services linked to mobile phone services, such as communication, entertainment, information services and money transfer services have been intensively incorporated to sustain and serve the customer’s need, which in turn demands performance maximization. In service marketing literature, SERVQUAL and SERVPERF have been reported as failing to measure service quality in new industries such as the retail industry’s B2B service. Therefore, service quality models for the mobile phone service industry need to be further developed. Service quality models have placed little focus on value-added services and no research has yet operationalized the concept of value-added services in a service quality model from the customer’s perspective of the service industry. Hence, this paper aims to conceptualize a service quality model based on Gronroos’ Model, other exploratory research and the current market situation in the service context. A total of 998 structured questionnaires were distributed to pre-paid mobile phones users in nine provinces around Thailand. The results indicate four dimensions of service quality. The value-added services have shown a particularly high level of measurements of satisfaction. These findings reveal a meaningful insight into how customers perceive the value-added services offered by service providers. This will help managers to design an appropriate variety of service options that suit their customers and  in turn may lead to the development of a long-term relationship with their organizations. Keywords: Value added services, Service quality, Telecommunication Thailand

Application of the Rohman-Stork price basket to unlock the complexities of cellular price in Indonesia

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the complexity of prepaid mobile pricing in Indonesia and suggest tools that allow consumers to make informed decisions.Design/methodology/approach–Defining a basket of services and pricing it for all prepaid mobile products available in Indonesia.Findings–Findings suggested the importance of price transparency to ensure that consumers are well-informed concerning the range of services and prices available.Practical implications–The paper provides recommendations for the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulation Agency (BRTI), which could use price baskets to create transparency and monitor price developments in the market. Another measure BRTI could undertake is to require any advertisement to include the cost for a price basket defined by BRTI.Social implications–Price transparency is likely to lead to price competition and thus lower prices and/or better services. The economic impact of lower prices is well documented.Originality/value–The authors have developed a unique basket methodology to address the specific situation in Indonesia.

Shutting Down the Mobile Phone and the Downfall of Nepalese Society, Economy and Politics

On 1 February 2005, the Kingdom of Nepal cut of all public telecommunication links to the outside world. According to the king, the shutdown in communications was to enable security operations against the Maoist insurgents. Landline and Internet services were restored gradually over the following weeks. But the pre-paid mobile phone service, which was used by the majority of Nepalese, stayed of for the public for 88 days. The shutdown in communications provided the environment for a natural experiment to look at the impact of the mobile phone. Researchers conducted interviews in three regions of Nepal that are taken by the Nepalese as representative of the country. Among those interviewed were politicians, including the thenprime minister, business owners, journalists, as well as military and police oicers. The study found that the shutdown in mobile communications had limited success in helping security operations. The insurgents did not trust the mobile phone network and had developed their own parallel communication network. The larger impact was negative: it hurt the economy and alienated large swathes of the public, perhaps even contributing to the downfall of the king. The study suggests that the mobile phone is a social device and that if there is to be any shutdown of the mobile phone service, it should be done only briefly and for very clear security reasons.

Resuscitating privacy-preserving mobile payment with customer in complete control

Credit/debit card payment transactions do not protect the privacy of the customer. Once the card is handed over to the merchant for payment processing, customers are "no longer in control" on how their card details and money are handled. This leads to card fraud, identity theft, and customer profiling. Therefore, for those customers who value their privacy and security of their payment transactions, this paper proposes a choice--an alternate mobile payment model called "Pre-Paid Mobile HTTPS-based Payment model". In our proposed payment model, the customer obtains the merchant's bank account information and then instructs his/her bank to transfer the money to the merchant's bank account. We utilize near field communication (NFC) protocol to obtain the merchant's bank account information into the customer's NFC-enabled smartphone. We also use partially blind signature scheme to hide the customers' identity from the bank. As a result, our payment model provides the customer with complete control on his/her payments and privacy protection from both the bank and the merchant. We emulated our proposed mobile payment model using Android SDK 2.1 platform and analyzed its execution time.

Comparison of pre-paid rating methods

Despite the attractive post-paid tariff packages a lot of subscribers choos pre-paid mobile subscriptions worldwide to gain more control on their spending. Usually services requested by pre-paid subscribers are rated by intelligent node platforms in a real-time manner, but the implementation of these systems varies from vendor to vendor and there are several key characteristics which shall be taken into consideration when comparing these systems. This article summarizes some of these major characteristics and gives analytic methods to calculate the number of unit reservation messages and ratings which are important indicators to size (dimension) these systems when a new service is introduced to the mass market. Our analytic calculations are confirmed by simulation results.

A Dual-Step Multi-Algorithm Approach for Churn Prediction in Pre-Paid Telecommunications Service Providers

Nowadays customer churn has become the main concern of companies which are active in different industries. Among all industries which suffer from this issue, telecommunications industry can be considered in the top of the list with approximate annual churn rate of 30%. Dealing with this problem, there exist different approaches via developing predictive models for customer churn but due to the nature of pre-paid mobile telephony market which is not contract-based, customer churn is not easily traceable and definable, thus constructing a predictive model would be of high complexity. Handling this issue, in this study, we developed a dual-step model building approach, which consists of clustering phase and classification phase. With this regard firstly, the customer base was divided into four clusters, based on their RFM related features, with the aim of extracting a logical definition of churn, and secondly, based on the churn definitions that were extracted in the first step, different algorithms were utilized with the intention of constructing predictive models for churn in our developed clusters. Evaluating and comparing the performance of the employed algorithms based on “gain measure”, we concluded that employing a multi-algorithm approach in the model constructing step, instead of single-algorithm one, can bring the maximum gain among the tested algorithms.

Modelling and forecasting mobile telecommunication services: the case of Greece

In this article we try to model the adoption pattern of mobile telecommunication services into the Greek market for the period 1993 to 2005. Two separate sigmoid curves, the Gompertz and the Logistic, are fitted to the observed number of subscribers by means of nonlinear least squares. Our empirical results reached three conclusions. First, the introduction of the pre-paid mobile telephony in 1997 along with the entry of the third mobile operator in 1998 has boosted the diffusion process in Greece; second, the levelling-off process in the diffusion of mobile phones has already begun; third, the average expected growth rate in new subscribers is less than half percent for the period between 2006 and 2015.

Pursuing the Anonymous User: Privacy Rights and Mandatory Registration of Prepaid Mobile Phones

In recent years there has been concern among law enforcement and national security organizations about the use of “anonymous” prepaid mobile phone service and its purported role in supporting criminal and terrorist activities. As a result, a number of countries have implemented registration requirements for such service. Privacy rights advocates oppose such regulatory measures, arguing that there is little practical value in attempting to register prepaid mobile devices, and the issue raises important questions about a citizen's entitlement to anonymity in the ownership of a networked communications device. This article provides an overview of the issue and presents findings drawn from a recent study on prepaid mobile phone regulation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. The article concludes by suggesting that there are significant problems with the claim that mandatory registration of prepaid mobile phone service is a necessary or an effective regulatory course of action.

Regulatory peripheries: Using prepaid to extend the network

Telecom network roll‐out is crucial for economic development, and with the advent of mobile telephony, it is increasingly achievable. Mobile adoption in many countries has surpassed fixed line connections. This paper, however, proposes that regulators need to look beyond teledensity to anticipate future access to information infrastructure. Prepaid mobile especially does not provide a solid foundation for future information services. Different stages of regulatory and network development determine the conditions for mobile (and prepaid mobile) adoption at a national level. Likewise, access to further or future information services will be affected by the kind of network now being established and by regulatory conditions which either recognise or ignore national and regional differences.