Sunday, April 12, 2009

Celluar Services and Users' Preferences in Quetta City- Pakistan

The aim of this research study is to provide with a comprehensive analysis and to envisage the behavior of mobile phone users' (customers) preferences towards a specific cellular service provider.

Introduction
Cellular mobile phone service is the wireless telecommunication service that is operated via Mobile phone or Cellular phone (An electronic telecommunications device). Mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations, which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Current mobile phone cellular networks were first introduced in the world in the mid 1980s by the Bell Telephone Systems. In addition to the standard voice function of telephone, a mobile phone can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video.
In Pakistan, first cellular service provider was introduced in the mid 1990. It was InstaPhone. In the beginning, the use of mobile services was very confined in Pakistan. There were a few people, either rich or elite, making the use of cellular services in Pakistan. In the end 1992, another cellular network was introduced. It was Paktel. Gradually, many mobile phone service providers have been introduced. Currently in Pakistan, 6 cellular networks are in operations namely InstaPhone, Paktel, Mobilink, Ufone, Al-Warid and Telenor. With the advancement in technology and network services, and decreasing prices, the number of users of cellular networks has been increased. Cellular networks began to spread even in the villages of Pakistan. In this regard Mobilink is the first network which promoted coverage culture in Pakistan. With drastic decrease in prices of cell devices and even in the prices of cellular network connections, the number of users of cellular mobile phone services has rapidly increased. Statistics show, there are currently more than Six-Koror (60,000,000) users in Pakistan. As by 1993, there were hardly 2000 users in all using cellular services.
With the increase in cellular networks by different international companies in Pakistan, there has been very tough competition among the cellular service provider companies. Each cellular network service provider is introducing several packages to attract the customers to their side. It has been noted that many customers subscribe for specific cellular connection according to their satisfactions and needs, and many subscribers abandon their current cellular connection for others when they are not satisfied by the current services of cellular services they used. For instance, signal problem in a geographical area, accessibility problem, similarly voice quality, instant call connectivity, high call rates etc... The subscribers are also affected by the low call charges and corporate services like SMS, MMS, GPRS, etc…
Some cellular mobile phone service providers have wide area network coverage in Pakistan. There are some areas in which the only network service provider is in operation and people and their relatives subscribe for that cellular network connection. It is because call from network to the same network is low in price. For example, a person making call from Network ‘A’ to Network ‘A’, it would be relatively low in price rather makings call from Network ‘A’ to others, it would be relatively expensive.
Mobile phone services have been very useful for business sectors. These services have promoted the business up to much extent. In business, time bears vital importance and mobile phone services provide the business sectors with instant connectivity in low price. The scope of using mobile services is not only confined to the business sectors but also children, juvenile, aged and old (both males and females) are making use of these services. Earlier, the users have to wait for one to two months in order to avail telecommunication services. But with the arrival of mobile phone service providers, it has been easy for a user to subscribe and use the services instantly.
All the cellular mobile phone service providers work under the conditions (Mobile Policy) laid by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). PTA is an authority that controls over all of them. It initiates new access code for each cellular service provider if they reach the limit of 5 million subscribers. PTA keeps an eye on the services of the cellular mobile phone service providers to prevent them providing the bad services to the subscribers. If any service provider is found guilty in terms of connectivity, voice quality etc…, it is given penalty for these by heavy fine according to the rules and regulations.
Currently in Pakistan, Seven cellular mobile phone service provider companies have been established, namely, InstaPhone, Paktel, Mobilink, Ufone, Al-Warid, Telenor and Zong.


Aim of the Research

Null and Alternative Hypothesis

Research Methodology


Analysis of Frequencies based on Questionnaire

Analysis of Research Study

Conclusion

Recommendations

References

Zonal Sales Managers of:
InstaPhone
Mobilink
Ufone
Al-Warid
and the respective websites of cellular service providers in Pakistan.

Note: The research was conducted in January - March 2007 which was an integral part of my Masters Degree. However, the contents have been published here with some updation.

1 comment:

  1. Dear friend, i appreciate your efforts....
    Gook Work!

    ReplyDelete