Delivering innovative range of products like unlimited night Internet and entertainment packs, Telenor India is clearly reinstated its promise of ‘Ab Life Full Paisa Vasool’ for its customers in India.
Satish Kumar Kannan, Circle Business Head- UP (West), Telenor India speaks with Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com about the company’s current focus and why UP West is so important for the company today.
Please elaborate about Telenor’s strength in UP West region.
UP West is one of the best performing circles for Telenor in India. Telenor is the 3rd largest telecom operator in the region with over 8.3 million subscribers. The company entered the circle 2009 as 11th player under the Uninor brand and since then we have focused on delivering our promise of most affordable telecom services to our customers. With the brand refresh in September last year, we have a new brand positioning of ‘Ab Life Full Paisa Vasool’. While we will continue to be relevant and affordable in voice and Internet services, we are now committed to offer more value on every transaction done with Telenor India.
The brand change is a reflection of our long term commitment to India. Our mass market consumers will get higher value on every transaction done with Telenor through easy to understand and simple to use products. With an innovative range of products like unlimited night Internet and entertainment packs, we have clearly reinstated our promise of ‘Ab Life Full Paisa Vasool’ for all our customers.
We are also investing in modernizing our network to support high-speed data in the region. Last year we added two new zones in Saharanpur and Rudrapur to ensure best services to our customers by staying close to them. We have further enhanced our distribution infrastructure with over 400 distributors and close to 430 Telenor retailstores in the region.
In a first of its kind initiative from a telco in India, Telenor came up with a free- life insurance for its new and existing customers. Under this scheme a customer can get insured for up to Rs 50,000 but need not pay any premium. As the name suggests, “Telenor Suraksha” takes financial security to the masses by simplifying the entire process of enrolment and claims settlement. While a customer can enroll in the scheme by using *121# or walking into a Telenor store, the claims are settled within seven days.
What are some of the key trends in data usage and low-cost calling in UP West region?
Data is increasingly becoming important for existing and new customers. We arewitnessing huge data growth in the region, as the adoption of low cost smart phonesand demand of OTT (Over-the-top) services is increasing.Currently over 22% of Telenor’s UP West customers use data services on their mobile devices and we expect this to grow to over 50% by 2017. By making “Internet for All” a pillar of our global strategy, we shall continue to cater to the mass markets with our products like Free Whatsapp& Facebook Packs, Night Internet Packs and Entertainment Packs for video streaming and music download and connectthe unconnected at most affordable prices.
What are the growth opportunities for Telenor in the region for the Year 2016?
Telenor is known for its relevant products and affordable tariffs, which are simple, fair and easy to use for all our valued customers. Weare committed to our brand promise “Ab Life Full Paisa Vasool” and in 2016 we will continue to be most affordable through innovative product offerings on voice and data. With the modernization of network we are all geared up to offer high-speed data services to our customers.
“Telenor Suraksha”, the first-of-its-kind “Free Life Insurance” product launched by Telenorlast year has received an overwhelming response and helped them mitigate financial risk at no extra cost. With this launch, Telenorhas played a pivotal role in driving the financial inclusion agenda to the masses. We willcontinue create differentiation through such services just like we have been doing with our affordable mobile services.
You recently added two new zones in UP West region I.e., Saharanpur and Rudrapur. Could you please elaborate further on this decision?
One of the core values of Telenor is to be loved by customers and we strive for this by extending benefits of being connected to the masses. In order to understand the customer’s need better, and offer them, most relevant, best-in-class and value for money services at affordable rates, we try to remain close to them. The two new zones in Saharanpur and Rudrapur have further strengthened our presence in the area and will help us serve the region in the most efficient manner.
