The call has been waiting for months, and finally number portability has been able to connect. September 20 is the big day, when you’ll have the freedom to choose the telco operator, while retaining your number…This small step has big ramifications. A lot of people i know have changed their operator, due to the lure of a number which stands out, is easy to remember etc. Assuming you now have a number which you liked, get ready for the next step…which allows you to choose the provider who gives you the best service, the best network, flexibility, and an overall pleasing experience. 2009 is going to be a particularly challenging year for operators due to following considerations:

1. Additional marketing spends will be done, specially between August – October, to ensure top of mind recall. Currently we find airtel, vodafone, idea and bsnl fairly active on our TVs. This bombardment will get enhanced in the coming months.

2. A slew of new features and services will be launched by each operator, as they try to woo subscribers currently married to other operators. Voda (with its army of mesmerizing zoozoos) and airtel (my airtel my offer) have already made a start in the right direction. Idea and bsnl are lacking for sure, and unless they start promoting features which will help a voda customer switch to idea, for example, they will find their subscriber base shrink.

3. Most operators will have very similar plans, to avoid subscribers from switching due to a more compelling plan on another network. Essentially, operators will focus more on reasons for a subscriber to disconnect, and rectify that particular problem area, to avoid others from following.

Prediction: Better service, more features, more value for money, more respect for the consumer, better systems in place. Overall: Airtel stands to gain the most, as it has been building an image of a well balanced operator, with fewest chinks in its armor. Vodafone is flashy, but lacks in network and reception. Idea has extremely horrible systems in place, be it their customer care or their website, and have not projected an image of an innovative and path-breaking operator. Its happy replicating. If the replication time exceeds the subscriber’s patience, it will lead to attrition.

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