Bangkok--Feb 7--DTAC
DTAC today announced its bullish projection on postpaid segment, saying the segment will grow by 50%, or up from current 4 millions to around 6 million subscribers by 2008. The company is determined to grab at least half of the total postpaid market, or having around 3 million postpaid subscribers within the next three years.
DTAC currently has almost 1.5 million postpaid subscribers out of its total base of 8 millions.
Chief Executive Officer Sigve Brekke dismisses market’s speculation that postpaid segment has already reached its peak, arguing that the market still has huge growth potential.
“We have revised up our postpaid target after seeing huge growth opportunity both in terms of subscription and revenues. Our aim, therefore, is not only to maintain existing customers but also to expand the market to its fullest potential,” says Sigve.
The company’s optimistic projection is backed by its better-than-expected subscriber expansion and a series of in-depth analyses on the potentials of postpaid market.
In 2005’s fourth quarter saw DTAC pocketed over 80,000 new net postpaid subscribers. In December alone, the company reportedly acquired over 50,000 new customers, higher than its previous projected growth rate of 10,000 new subscribers per month.
Chief Customer Officer Sunti Medhavikul reveals that studies into postpaid market have reconfirmed the company’s belief in the market’s bright prospect. Based on a labor force survey conducted by the National Statistical Office in December 2005, the studies found out that there are 36.55 million working population in Thailand, of which 5.4 millions are those with fixed income including government officials, corporate executives and other professionals, who exhibit strong potentials to become postpaid subscribers. In addition, there are over 600,000 university students who will soon become first jobbers with high possibilities of signing up for postpaid services in the near future.
Seeing the opportunity, DTAC has today introduced a new package, ‘Work More’, to stimulate the growth further. The new package, targeting office workers, charges 599 baht per month and allows users to talk for up to an hour at a time by paying only for the first three minutes at a rate of 2.50 baht per minute, or 7.50 bah in total. The special tariff is applicable around the clock, including the ‘peak hours’ from 7 to 9 p.m.
With this kind of innovative offering powered by full-scale promotional activities, the company believes that its postpaid base can grow at a rate of around 500,000 new subscribers per year over the next 3 years, staring from this year.
“With such promising opportunity, we are volunteering to take the lead in stimulating the postpaid market’s growth. Our strategy is to compete with ourselves to meet our ambitious target regardless of the competition,” says Sunti.
Ponnana Apiluckpanich
Media Relations - DTAC
Tel 02-202-8000 #31887
Mobile 01-623-9895 End.