It’s been four (4) weeks since Telecom Provider Digicel responded to Telecom Provider
LIME Talk EZ Plan with their double-whammie “Sweetest Deal” Plan as stated in
the article “Digicel goes $2.89”, published Friday, June 22, 2012, The Jamaica Observer and described in my
Geezam blog article entitled “Digicel launches 4G Mobile
and JA$2.89 Sweeter in a bid - Jamaican Voice + Data Summer Wars”.
Less than five days later, Telecom
Provider Digicel launched Digicel’s US$33
million 4G Mobile with a flashy Media Blitz at Victoria Pier on Ocean Boulevard
near to their future home on Wednesday June 27th 2012AD. This was
reported in no less than three (3) articles from both local newspapers:
1. “4G Mobile
lands in Jamaica”, published Wednesday, June 27, 2012, The Jamaica Observer
2. “Digicel
Launches 4G Mobile Downtown”, Published: Wednesday June 27, 2012, byDavina Henry, Staff Reporter, The
Jamaica Gleaner
But
albeit their response has been on point in solidarity with customer demand for
lower On-Net and Cross Network Voice Calling Rates, all is not as it seems in
the Telecoms World. This as the whole she-bang has raised additional questions
from the Public, with few answers forthcoming.
The OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) has set rates at
JA$5.00 as stated in the article “OUR sets interim termination Call rates at $5”, which may go lower come Sunday July 15th
2012AD.
The OUR has been given the
power to regulate Cross Network Calling rates by the new Telecommunications Act
that came into effect in May 2012AD.
They were also given interim
powers to oversee the coming implementation of MNP (Mobile Number Portability)
by December 2012AD as stated in the article “Paulwell
promises number portability by December”, published Sunday, June 17, 2012
BY CONRAD HAMILTON Senior staff
reporter, The Jamaica Observer.
This
is a fulfillment of the promise by then Prime Minister Bruce Golding in 2011AD
as described in my Geezam blog article
entitled “New Telecom Act Coming for
Jamaica – Providers surprised with their Own Regulator”.
Digicel however,
has challenged the OUR right to be the interim administrator of Cross-Network
and International Voice Calling Rates and has actually voiced objection to the
calling rates since February 2012AD as stated in the article “LIME, Digicel at odds over OUR's proposed $5
termination rate”, published Sunday,
February 19, 2012, The Jamaica Observer.
More on the outcome of their
challenge in a follow up article. In the meantime, the “Sweetest Deal”
Promotion is their best bet against the coming horde that is Telecom Provider
LIME.
On
the surface, Telecom Provider Digicel’s
“Sweetest Deal” Promotion appears quite appealing:
1. JA$2.89 per minute for on-Net and
International Voice Calls for Digicel Prepaid
2. JA$6.99 per minute for Cross Network
Voice Calls to LIME and Fixed Line Landlines
If you have already subscribed to
JA$8.99 Flat Rate Calling Plan on either Prepaid as described in the Geezam blogarticle entitled “Digicel
Introduces One Rate Calling for $8.99 in Jamaica” or the Anywhere Calling Plan for Postpaid
as per my other follow-up article “Digicel
intros the Anywhere Plan for Postpaid” you cannot subscribe to this offer. You
still get to enjoy Gimme 5 offers, but significantly scaled down with the
following caveats:
1. Per Minute billing applies
2. Send three (3) on-net Text get the
next 10 free
3. Talk for five (5) minutes on a local
call get the next ten (10) free
4. Talk for five (5) minutes on an
International Call get the next twenty five (25) minutes free
5. Top up with JA$200 credit get 1 hour
Free calling between the hours of 9:00pm to 5:59am
Assuming
people can read and comprehend and are not unduly caught up with the hype, many
Jamaicans are not going to accept this. Gimme 5, which Telecom Provider Digicel and introduced in 2008AD to
counteract the wily new Telecom Provider CLARO, has become a staple among
Jamaicans trying to save on Mobile phone calling.
Digicel’s
“Sweetest Deal” Promotion is not even a permanent promotion. Worse, it throws
back to the days of per minute billing. For those with short memories or who
were just born yesterday, per minute Billing had been introduced originally to
Jamaica by Telecom Provider Digicel
in 2001AD.
1999AD
to 2001AD was in the pre-deregulated Telecom Sector days before Minister
Phillip Paulwell, then Minister of energy Mining and Telecommunications had
liberalized the Telecom sector with the groundbreaking Telecommunications Act
of 2000 legislation.
So
expect to see a slow and steady stream of defectors to Telecom Provider LIME
attracted by their Talk EZ plans as described in my blog article
entitled “LIME's
new TALK EZ Plan drops Cross Network Calling to JA$2.99 - Digicel's Game of
Thrones vs LIME Return of the King” and my Geezam
blog article entitled “LIME
drops Cross Network Calling rate to JA$6.99 to kick off a 3 year Battle for Mobile
Market Dominance”.
The
more significant development, which seems to be getting very little Press time
in either Local Newspapers is Telecom Provider Digicel’s 4G Mobile. It’s a
significant development as it indicates finally the true reason why Telecom
Provider Digicel had acquired CLARO
Jamaica via swap with America Movil for Digicel Honduras and Digicel El
Salvador.
The
spectrum licenses and 3G licenses are being used to ramp up to a REAL 4G
Network come 2013AD as surmised in my Geezam
blog article entitled “How
to Access LIME or Digicel’s 3G Internet using an unlocked Huawei E1556 Modem
Dongle or Nokia Modem Dongle”and my blog article
entitled “Digicel
to shut down CLARO's Voice Network in HSDPA+ Push - The Louisiana Purchase of
Spectrum”.
I
say “REAL” as just like the last time in
August 2010AD when Telecom Provider Digicel launched their 4G Broadband
powered by WiMaX IEEE 802.16d, e as stated in the article “Digicel's 4G: A huge
technology wave for J'cans”, published Sunday, August 22, 2010 BY ALICIA ROACHE Sunday Finance reporter,
The Jamaica Observer, there was a
debate raging as it relates to what defines “4G”.
According
to the UN (United Nations) Telecoms body the ITU
(International Telecommunications Union) 4G Working Group back in
2010AD, 4G was defined as thus:
1. 100MBps
data rates between UE (User Equipment) and servers, (possibly shared between
upload and download?)
2. The
use of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), to which WiMaX IEEE 802.16d already
complies.
Back
then WiMaX IEEE 802.16d,e, 4G Broadband, did not conform to this standard.
Later on however, the ITU, apparently under pressure from Telecom Providers
unwilling to spend money on upgrades, used their political pull to get the ITU
to change its mind and allow even HSDPA+ Release 7 to be declared 4G as stated
in the article “Has
'4G' lost its meaning?”, published January 18, 2011 4:00 AM PST by Marguerite Reardon, CNET Newsand “4G: What's in a name?”, published
October 21, 2010 12:42 PM PDT by Marguerite Reardon, CNET
News - Signal Strength.
Later
on in October 2010AD,LIME’s Regional
Vice-President for Legal, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Camille Taylor
Facey sought to clear the air by taking Telecom Provider Digicel tothe FTC (Fair Trading Commission) on the grounds that this was false
advertisingas stated in the article“4G Quarrel”, published Wednesday
October 27, 2010 by Mark Titus, Business Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.
Digicel responded in November 2010AD using the argument that
based on the legal precedence set by the ITU among Telecoms providers also
falsely advertising their WiMaX IEEE 802.16d, e and HSDPA+ Networks in North
American as 4G, their US$22 million Network was also 4G, albeit after the fact
as stated in the article “Digicel sets the record straight on 4G”, published Friday, November 05, 2010 By
Al Edwards, The Jamaica Observer.
Thus since 2010AD the consumer was confused and is even more confused even to this day two (2)
years later as to what 4G speeds really mean. Worse, competitor Telecom
Provider LIME “4G” Network is not really 4G either but a faster 3G with lower
Data Rates as of Tuesday May 1st
2012AD as described in my blog
article entitled “LIME launches XL Value Campaign and slashes 3G Mobile
Prepaid Data come May 1 - Shadows of the Old Republic as LIME does Baby Cham's
Wine”.
Clearly BOTH Local Telecom Providers do not like the fact
that Data Services is spectrally inefficient and are thus doing everything
possible to deceive customers in accepting HSDPA+ Release 5 Speeds with a best
effort of 3.6 MBps as 4G. This is effectively HSDPA+ Release 5 as described in
the table listing in my Geezam
blog article entitled “How
to Access LIME or Digicel’s 3G Internet using an unlocked Huawei E1556 Modem
Dongle or Nokia Modem Dongle”.
It may seem faster on your Mobile device, the clever ploy in
Telecom Provider Digicel’s marketing strategy. But even that is hampered by
sub-par Mobile device hardware that makes surfing the Internet on your Tablet, Mobile
phone or e-reader still a crawling experience and not high-speed Internet as
promised by the standards as set originally by the ITU. Thus the Jamaica Public
is aware, just not complaining as it’s not a bread-and-butter issue, like taxes
or higher fuel prices.
Mobile Broadband is important as not everyone has access to
Wired Internet, especially in the Rural parts of Jamaica. Thus my main disappointment
with these announced “4G” launches thus far is a lack of announcements on plans
to spread Mobile Broadband outside of Kingston, Greater Portmore and the
Tourist areas of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
In the meantime, its adoption my Jamaicans will hopeful phase
out those “featureless” phones and replace them with a love for smartphones,
which already by virtue of their easy access to full-blown websites and online
resources such as Google have been shown to improve intelligence as per the
analysis of my Geezam blog
article entitled “StudyBlue reveals Smartphones, Tablets make you
smarter – The Big Bang Theory on Google”.
Already the popularity of Blackberrys is waning in Jamaica as
second-time purchasers opt for a smartphone as described in my blog
article entitled “Blackberry popularity wanes as Jamaicans go
smartphones - Android and Apple's Smartphone Revolution” and my Geezam
blog article entitled “Apple iPhone boosts Jamaican smartphone usage as BB
goes Chapter 11 Bankruptcy”.
Blackberry is also going into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, a
surefire testimony of the love that Americans have for smartphones as noted in my blog
article entitled “RIM filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - The Last of the
Mohicans Blackberry as Android Borne Supremacy Worldwide Continues”.
This trend towards smartphones spurred by lower On-Net, Cross
Network and International Calling rates and more competitive Data Rates will
spur the increased adoption of Prepaid, Fixed Landline and Mobile and Mobile
Data Services in the next three (3) years as already
predicted in my blog article entitled “OUR Records Voice Decline for the
Fourth Quarter of 2010 - Postpaid, Data Services and Fixed Line Mobile and
Landline Saturday Night Fever for Telecom Providers”.
The competitive pricing along with the ease of swapping
afforded by MNP Gaming Postpaid users will also spur a trend towards Dual-SIM Mobile
devices among Prepaid Users. Smartphones such as those made by Florida-based smartphone maker
Plum as described in the article “Who
the heck is Plum Anyway?”, published May 11 2012 6:27 PDT, by Lynn La, CNET Newsreadily come to mind.
This coming MNP is also a precursor
to MRSI (Mandatory Registration of Subscriber Information) which will make it
much easier for the ISCF (Island Special Constabulary Force) and the JCF
(Jamaica Constabulary Force) aka the Jamaican Police to catch criminals as
predicted in the following slew of article I’ve written on the subject:
This by using subpoenas and
geo-locations and historical Calling Data from the Telecom Provider’s Database
or just by simply requesting it over the phone as described in my blog article my
blog article entitled “How
to Register your SIM Card and get the PUK1 and access Digicel’s Phone Calling
Records”.
Additionally, Video Calling will also
see a spike in usage, mainly powered by Mobile apps on Google Android
smartphones and Apple iPhones such as OoVoo and Skype respectively as stated in
my
blog article entitled “Skype's
Ads on Free VoIP heralds coming of Free Mobile VoIP - Video Calls not problem
as LIME LTE soon tun up”.
Other industries and VAS (Value Added
Services) that would flourish powered by Mobile Broadband include:
1.
An App Economy powered by designing Freemium Video Games as
described in my blog article entitled“Amazon set to launch smartphone in Fourth Quarter of 2012AD
- The App Economy and the Increasing Importance of Digical Content” and my Geezam blog article entitled “Smartphones and Apps – Freemium Games are No. 1”.
2.
Mobile Gambling or Gaming Apps from Supreme Ventures as
described in in my blog article entitled “Supreme Ventures and Blackberry Gambling - Rihanna
S&M on the Dark Side of the Moon”.
3.
Smartphones with the titled JCUES (Jamaica
Credit Union e-Payment Services) app supported by the partnership between and Mozido Jamaica to power the idea of Mobile
Money for the unbanked and thus transition Jamaica towards the Cashless Society
as descried in in
my blog article entitled “JCCUL
JCUES is put on hold by the BOJ - ePayment setback means Mozido has been
Bewitched”
In short the real money to
be made from lower Voice Service and the common introduction of Data Services
is not from the service itself or merely more Postpaid, Fixed Line Landline and
Mobile and Mobile Broadband usage within the next three (3) years.
Rather, it’s from the VAS
(Value Added Service) that have the potential to tap into e-commerce and thus
allow ordinary Jamaicans to make foreign exchange revenue from the Internet in
what is essentially an App Economy using Scotia VISA Debit Cards as described
in my
Geezam blog article “ScotiaBank’s VISA Debit Card – Jamaica’s Online
E-Commerce Renaissance”.
In short the coming changes in the Telecoms
world herald not only the coming of a Telecoms Sector without Prepaid, MRSI
(Mandatory Registration of Subscriber Information) under the guise of MNP (Mobile
Number Portability) and a Cashless Society by 2015AD. It would also herald a
Renaisance for the idea of e-commerce as a means for ordinary Jamaicans to make
money from the Internet.
1 comment:
Hello. Your doing a great job. I am really fan of your posts.digicel
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