New T-Mobile UK tariff inspired by social networking (UK)Customers get unlimited calls and messages to five contacts on MyFaves tariff; operator sees potential uptake by older users as well as youth market.
T-Mobile Thursday launched its MyFaves tariff in the U.K. market, a package that takes inspiration from the popularity of social networking Websites.
MyFaves offers post-pay customers unlimited voice calling, SMS and MMS messaging for up to five contacts on any network. According to T-Mobile’s own research, 60% of the average European consumer’s call minutes are used to contact five numbers or less.
“People have a core group of friends, that they call on far more often,” commented Vanessa Potts, head of post-pay at T-Mobile UK.
Users who sign up to the price plan will also have a preloaded interface included on their handset, that displays the five contacts for whom the unlimited services apply.
Once set up, the phone’s front screen displays the chosen friends, represented either with icons or photographs, and allows the user to make a call, or send an SMS or picture message with a single click.
Developed in-house by T-Mobile, the interface also allows numbers to be swapped in and out of the MyFaves plan, meaning customers aren’t stuck with the same core contacts for the duration of their 18-month contract.
“Consumers’ chosen forms of communication have to be continually re-evaluated,” said Potts, in order to identify the most effective means to encourage usage.
With that in mind, Potts explained to Total Telecom ahead of the launch that prominently featuring a core group of contacts was partly driven by social networking Websites - like MySpace - that enable users to list their ‘top’ friends.
“[MyFaves] is a way we can transfer some of the elements of social networking onto the mobile,” she said.
Furthermore, although the new tariff is aimed at young adults, Potts said the interface, with its simplified layout, could gain traction with elderly users.
“There’s definitely a secondary market with the older generation,” she added.
Potts said T-Mobile has also just launched MyFaves in Germany and the Czech Republic, with a launch in the Croatian mobile market to follow soon.
For the U.K. launch, T-Mobile is offering three price points: £25, £35 and £45, each bundling incrementally increasing minutes and texts for calls and messages to numbers not included on MyFaves.
The service will initially roll out on five mobile phones - Samsung’s U600 and D900i, Sony Ericsson’s W880i and K770 handsets, and the Nokia 6300 - and T-Mobile is already planning to expand the range of supported handsets.
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