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Mobile operators battle for market share
Four domestic telecom companies are com-peting for greater market share, with the latest campaigns involving cheap prepaid cards, lucky prize draws and bonus credit.
The four operators also offer various promotions for low call costs, extended talk time and free bonus credit.
When mobile phones first came on the Laos market in around 2001 the cheapest prepaid card cost 50,000 kip, but today cards for 5,000 to 10,000 kip of credit are available.
The Millicom Lao Company (Tigo) offers 5,000 kip prepaid cards and Star Telecom Co Ltd (Unitel), Lao Telecommunications Company (LTC) and Enterprise of Telecommunications Lao (ETL) provide 10,000 kip refill cards.
Tigo was the first company to offer cheaper 20,000 kip refill cards in 2003. The other three companies soon followed suit: Lao Asia Telecom State Enterprise (Star Phone), which is now Star Telecom, introduced 25,000 kip cards, LTC (known as M-phone) 10,000 kip cards and ETL (known as P-phone) 15,000 kip cards.
Many vendors in Vientiane say that the best selling prepaid cards at present are those for M-phone, followed by Unitel, Tigo and ETL.
A major mobile phone dealer, Boss Phone, in Hatsady village, Chanthabouly district, said Unitel is becoming more popular due to successful marketing campaigns for its various products and services.
The company also has special promotions to attract customers such as a 50 to 100 percent credit bonus when a customer purchases a refill card.
A vendor in Naxay village, Xaysettha district, Ms Onh said Unitel used to be the worst seller at her shop, “but now its products are about equal with M-phone,” she said.
Currently, M-phone and Unitel are the two major competitors in the telecom sector and both have worked hard to improve their services and network systems.
LTC offers 1,500 kip per minute calls to Thailand, through the AIS company, and to Cambodia, via the Camshin company. The fee was 11,000 kip not so long ago.
It also offers 3G services, providing customers with a wider range of multimedia services and information through their mobile phones.
LTC recorded about 2 million subscribers last year, much higher than its forecast of 1.4 million for the year.
Star Telecom officially launched its 3G service two months ago. It currently has 2,000 base stations and has a nationwide network consisting of 13,000 km of optic fibre.
Vientiane Times
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