What will Airtel gain from this move?

Over the past week, Airtel Nigeria sent a text message to its users notifying them that its blackberry data subscription will stop working on phones that are not blackberry from the 3rd of December onwards.

The text message read: “Dear Customer, effective 3rd Dec 2013 AIRTEL BB Plans will cease to function on non BB devices or used as a modem. Thank you”

This was followed by reactions from airtel users who are both against and for the action. It was majorly e-protests on popular social media like Facebook and forums like the Nigerian Nairaland.

Several users have claimed that the only reason they use airtel line is because the blackberry data subscription is usable with other devices like Android smartphones, an opportunity not available on other networks.

Of course, the blackberry data subscription is cheaper than the price for other devices. For instance, blackberry data subscription for 1GB costs 1,200 naira while the price for the same amount of data on other devices is 3,000 naira.

It is a shame in the first place that a data plan meant for blackberry was working on other devices. Airtel was aware of the development but Airtel never complained or block the non-BB devices because many users have moved into Airtel’s camp just because of the cheap data.

One question that baffles me is: why didn’t Airtel extend those plans to other devices officially since they were already using it?

There is no stat from Airtel that indicates the exact number of Airtel users who subscribe to the blackberry data plans on other devices, but it cannot be denied that a massive number of people use the plan on other devices including PCs.

The publicity that surrounded the incidence is a testimony to that fact.

Some in support of Airtel’s decision have claimed this step will improve Airtel’s service as it has been overcrowded in recent months because of too much traffic.

This is a very faulty argument because the last time I checked, Airtel wasn’t the biggest telecoms company in the Nigeria. Apart from this, if Airtel can’t cope with an increase in the number of its users, then it is not yet ready to become the biggest telecoms operator in the country.

I think a reliable and responsible company should be able to expand its facilities to cope with increasing number of users.

One other scenario I’ve been able to cook up is if there is pressure on Airtel from rivals regarding the plans as it gives Airtel an unfair advantage against other telecoms companies.

Airtel didn’t give us a reason for shutting other devices out after it became popular among smartphone users. One fact clear to everybody is that many people use Airtel just because of the cheap data.

A high percentage of these people will jump ship whenever they get a better deal elsewhere.  What is airtel going to gain?

Many things have always been said about businesses and it has always been said that customer is king. A business that is not built around the satisfaction of its customers may have many difficulties, that is if it doesn’t close shop.

This situation has further underlined the fact that data plans are too expensive for non-BB phones and it is not affordable for an average Nigerian. Why should Blackberry get the best plans when we all know it is a fading force in the smartphone world?

Posted in airtel, internet, Telecoms