Revolutionary SMART 5: SLT's Mobitel customer base up by 5% last quarter

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel - national GSM network - recently revealed starting new subscriber figures to the mobitel communications industry when it announced a 30% increase in the company's overall subscriber base. This is due to the successful role out of its revolutionary SMART 5 package.

SMART 5's promise of charging a flat rate of Rs. 5 for any outgoing call, to any network, to however many people; and the removal of daily rental fees has gone a long way in subscribers seeking this package. In addition, the standardisation and flat rate concept for outgoing charges has simplified its product offering in an industry that is oftentimes confused by complicated pricing structures.

With its simple pricing structure and easy-to-understand package, SMART 5 has captured the hearts and wallets of Sri Lanka's consumers from across the island achieving a massive 30% overall subscriber base increase, SLT sources stated.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel's Chief Executive Officer, Suren J. Amarasekera, substantiated his company's recent performance by saying: "An increase of 30% in 3 months is no easy task. It can not be achieved by traditional push mechanisms; it has to be approached from a customer oriented viewpoint. It is a remarkable feat that the industry has never seen before."

Amarasekera went on to say that "Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel earlier decided that the industry-conventional approach of cutting prices for the sake of immediate sales increases is not the way to be the best partner to their customers, and instead, decided to enrich the lives of their customers by simplifying the pricing structures so that the convenience that the mobile phones offer is preserved with a flat rate tariff structure and the cutting off of daily rental charges."

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel is wholly owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom - the countries premier and the only total ICT provider. In January 2004, the company launched its full-fledged GSM network that is EDGE/GPRS enabled and designed to operate on dual bands.

Its GSM service saw an unprecedented growth of 300%. Investments to date in its GSM service offering totals over US$ 140 million and is set to increase its present over 500 base stations to more than 675 base stations this year. Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel also pioneered a range of customised menu-driven Over-The-Air (OTA) value added services which enable customers to enjoy hassle-free downloading of information without the inconvenience of having to remember a list of short codes. These services range from usage balance and billing details to sports and financial updates as well as a range of infotainment options. This unique service is even available whilst roaming.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel provides an extensive roaming network across the globe with very attractive rates to key destinations, and has the distinction of being the first network to offer pre-paid roaming to its subscriber base.