Telecom rivals embarking on the path of growth – freebies all the way

The future looks promising for all mobile subscribers. In addition to plunging data plans and almost free voice services, in the days to come mobile subscribers can expect more freebies. This can be said in light of more and more telecom companies partnering e-commerce firms to gain and retain customers as a part of strategic moves that is intended to benefit both parties.

For quite some time now carriers have joined hands with handset makers to rope in more consumers to use smartphone and data. However last week Jio opened a new front in the subscription battle by offering cash backs and discounts through tie ups with digital wallets and a travel portal for their higher paying users. This has put other telecom companies under immense pressure to incorporate similar actions in order to survive the competition.

Recently Airtel had launched its online portal where it sells phones as well. The firm is the best positioned to offer similar plans, even though it has given some form of cash backs through postpaid plans and its payment bank. Incumbents have started looking beyond being just mobile phone companies, with voice now practically free and data tariffs extremely low. Hence the way to maximize revenue generation is through value added services such as financial services, entertainment and shopping on a single platform. That is exactly what companies are aiming for. Hence we only have to wait and watch out for better offers that are in store for us.