MTS and Sicap Team Up to Offer Dynamic SIM Services in Belarus
Mobile network operator, MTS Belarus is to launch a SIM upgrade which will continuously display a PrePay customer's balance on their mobile phone display. The service is being provided by Sicap. Real time information is enabled by connecting a Sicap over the air SIM applet to the MTS call billing server. As such, each call is immediately debited from the account balance and the updated remaining credit displayed.
MTS and Sicap says that they will also explore a number of similar SIM-based service opportunities which could include dynamic screening of preferential call rates, special offers or credit top-up alerts.
Benefits for the operator are not limited to accrued customer loyalty. Because real time information screened directly on the mobile device is perceived by mobile users as a great way of simplifying their mobile experience, a large number of them are prepared to pay a nominal fee for these services.
According to Simon Hofer, Managing Director of Sicap Eastern Europe, «The Sicap SIM DSTK implementation has opened up a myriad of opportunities for MTS to get to market quickly with sticky services which customers really want. We will proudly demonstrate credit screening with MTS at the 2009 TIBO congress in the Belarus capital and share with them our experience of dynamic services on two other continents.»
According to figures from The Mobile World analysts, MTS ended last year with around 4.3 million subscribers, representing a market share of 51%.
