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'RIM gives unmatched mobile services in Goa' BY MELVYN MISQUITA
Goa) Atul Jhamb, in an exclusive interview with MELVYN MISQUITA. Reliance is the fifth operator to arrive in Goa, after Idea, BPL, BSNL and Airtel. Why would an existing mobile subscriber in Goa give up services offered by GSM providers in Goa and opt for the CDMA service of RIM? Four reasons. The first lies in its widest coverage. Independent agencies have certified Reliance to have the best network, both in voice clarity, speech and data speeds. Second, in terms of value that we provide, Reliance has the maximum range of unmatched multimedia handsets, ranging from as low as Rs 1500 to Rs 20,000. Third, our tarrifs are 20-25% cheaper. Our prepaid cards of Rs 220 and Rs 440 allow you to call any of our 1 crore RIM subscribers free anywhere in the country. Then on the data side, the technology that we have deployed allows the RIM customer to download at data speeds of upto 144 Kbps. Moreover, CDMA technology is far superior to GSM technology in terms of data transfer speeds, voice clarity, a congestion-free network and lowest call drops and CDMA is very spectrum efficient. But the Goan market is largely governed by loyalty to an existing mobile service provider. How can RIM capture the market in Goa? We have been able to break that fondness and attract customers. We would not have had 1 lakh customers in Goa within two years if we hadn’t created that intimacy with the customers. Reliance has been able to enter into the lives of its customers. Last month for instance, of the new customers who bought mobile phones, 52% of them went in for RIM. At present, there are 1 lakh RIM subscribers in Goa. This is the testimony of the confidence that people have in RIM. Across India, RIM has enjoyed a high subscriber base. However, RIM has been accused of being unable to handle high volumes, with customers complaining of billing problems. In some cases, customers have complained about confusing RIM schemes. With our customers, there is a one-on-one communication that goes to the customers either through SMS, voice or through letters. The second is in terms of the branded outlets that we have created, which are there not just to disseminate information but also to educate customers and to carry out demonstrations. The third is the call centre where customers can call to receive information. We also have a huge network of retail outlets here in Goa. Operators all over the world encounter teething problems. But we have completed sorted out these problems. There has been a growing concern here in Goa over the installation of mobile phone towers, with groups claiming that the radiation emitted by these towers is harmful to the people in the area. It is a myth. All research, whether it is in Europe, US or South East Asia, has nothing to prove that this radiation is hazardous. Please understand that if mobile phone towers had posed any danger, the entire mobile industry all over the world would have closed down. How does RIM manage to provide its coverage in a challenging topography such as Goa? Providing unmatched services and coverage in a place like Goa is indeed a challenge to RIM. We have teams from Goa who understand the topography inside out. We have a land acquisition team, construction team, the RF team, the planning team and teams that liaise with the government and other bodies. So, we have a deeply entrenched network of people who work tirelessly. What are the patterns of usage among RIM customers here in Goa? Voice is definitely the major factor. That is why people go in for mobile phones in the first place. But data usage is higher in Goa than in many parts of India and almost 62% of RIM customers in Goa use the R-World features. In addition, the R-Connect usage is also very high in Goa. How far has the RIM coverage spread all over Goa? What are the future plans for this state? At present, RIM covers most major towns in Goa. In the near future, RIM will cover all talukas, all municipalities, 80% of Goa’s 430 villages, complete coverage on national highways (224 kms) and 70% the state highways (150 kms). In addition, RIM will cover all beaches in Goa, the industrial estates at Verna, Kundaim, Thivim and Colvale as well as the MPT. We have three Reliance Web Worlds in Goa and three Web World Express branches. Our plan is to have 7 WWEs in Goa shortly. RIM was recently fined by the BSNL and the MTNL for alleged misuse of calls. Have these allegations prompted customers to lower their faith in RIM? As I mentioned earlier, 52% of the new customers last month joined RIM. We are now rolling out an expanded network. Please understand that customers seek value and unmatched value is what RIM gives them. [Comments on this report] To comment on this report, please Click Here to contact Melvyn Misquita. |
