In the world operator practice, the provision of equipment to subscribers on preferential terms, when concluding an agreement, is a common thing. A brand new iPhone in the United States sells for a dollar. But only when signing a long-term contract.
To keep up with Western colleagues, Russian companies there are also promotions offering to buy smartphones for 1 ruble. Apple products among the devices, of course, are not listed.
Promotions and special offers of operators
At the time of this writing, only MTS offers to buy a smartphone for 1 ruble. This opportunity is provided to loyal corporate subscribers of the company who have at least 15 numbers on the company's balance sheet. The list of devices available for purchase includes both OEM devices from China and top models of world brands. The latest list contains samsung galaxy A3, A5 and S6.
Private clients of the red-and-white operator cannot buy a Galaxy S6 for 1 ruble. But Special offers for users of prepaid services are also valid. They are not so attractive, but they are able to seduce an unprepared person. So, for 990 rubles it is offered Alcatel One touch pop C2 or one touch PIXI 3.
By paying 1490 r, you become the owner of a smartphone MTS Smart start. In addition to buying a phone for the indicated “discounted” price, you will be required to use the tariff that is stipulated by the promotion.
Both Alcatel models offered by MTS have similar characteristics and are among the most budget smartphones on the market:
- screen 4 inches with a resolution of 800x480 pixels;
- inexpensive dual-core MTK processor;
- 512 MB random access memory;
- volume internal memory- 4 GB, of which half is available to the user. There is support for memory cards up to 32 GB;
- 3 MP camera (for both Alcatel devices).
The main difference between MTS Smart Start and the models described above is a 5 megapixel camera.
Beeline offers to buy special price 990 r. two models: Jinga BASCO X1 and Micromaxs 300 BOLT. To do this, you need to connect to the tariff plan "All for 400" and pay for services in advance for 4 months (total 2590 r).
According to the characteristics of Beeline smartphones, the situation is similar. The devices are the most budgetary, only Micromax is based on the Spreadtrum chipset, and the camera resolution is just 2 megapixels. jinga works on MTK processor, but otherwise similar.
Megafon is not currently organizing such attractive promotions. Inexpensive devices sold with a service package are Megafon Login and Megafon Optima. They cost 1490 rubles. A prerequisite for the purchase is the payment of the tariff plan in advance (for 6–12 months). It is 350 r / month. for the first model and 199 r / month. for the second.
Login operates on the MTK 6572 chip, but the phone's display is from the previous generation. The resolution is 480x320 pixels, with a diagonal of 3.5″. The Optima has a clearer screen: the diagonal is 4 inches, and the resolution is 800x480 pixels. The rest of the devices are similar. They are equipped with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. In addition to the screen, smartphones differ in cameras: for Login, the sensor resolution is 2 MP, for Optima it is 3. Devices are devoid of flashes.
Attraction of unprecedented generosity or pragmatic calculation?
If in American conditions the fact that the device will pay off with interest to both the operator and the manufacturer does not raise questions, then Russian market the situation is debatable. Indeed, in the USA, upon signing a two-year contract, the subscriber undertakes to pay for iPhone device 6 128Gb with a contract - $399 and use the operator's services for up to 2 years. While without a contract, the same smartphone costs $849.
In Russia, according to a promotion from Beeline, in March 2015, it was possible to buy a smartphone for $1,000, with a discount of as much as 1,000 rubles. At the time of this writing, in online stores on our portal, the most favorable price was found in the region of $836. We can conclude that such grandiose actions, as in the United States, are out of the question in Russia.
striped tricks
Promotion from Beeline, which offers for 990 rubles. to acquire a new device implies the purchase of a package of communication services in the amount of 2400 rubles. The client will have to pay 3390 rubles.
in Chinese trading floors the wholesale cost of similar devices starts at $ 25–30 (at the current exchange rate, this is 1700–2000 r). Therefore, VimpelCom JSC does not incur losses, but in this way acquires a client for itself, who will be forced to use the services of the Beeline network, as long as he has this device. Promotional smartphones do not support other operators.
Moreover, the operator does not hesitate to indicate in the conditions of the promotion that the speed of data transfer on the Internet depends on the type of network in which the subscriber is located. It can be GPRS or EDGE, 3G and even LTE. But here's the problem - promotional devices do not support LTE networks.
What is MTS hiding in its egg?
You also get from MTS budget smartphones at cost, paying tariff plan which is imposed. You will not get pleasure from the devices they offer.
For the same cost, and sometimes less, you can buy a similar device, and sometimes even better. Just go to our catalog of smartphones, sort by price and see offers from different online stores in the country.
You will find a device that is in no way inferior to those offered above, but will not be tied to certain tariffs. If you have not had a smartphone before and want to understand what is operating system in a smartphone and use applications without problems, we recommend choosing a device at a price of $50. Everything that the market offers at a lower cost practically does not differ from conventional touch or key phones. A modern device can be found starting from $100.
The proposed smartphones from MTS with a stretch can be called smartphones.
Analysis of the functionality of promotional smartphones “for the ruble”
Users note acceptable price and convenience (there is no need to wait for a parcel from China), but the subscriber does not receive a clear benefit. In the corporate segment, tariff conditions become the object of criticism. The cost of buying a device and paying for communication services leads to the fact that a smartphone is purchased at full price.
The analysis also showed that they differ in short time battery life. "Megafon Login" in web surfing mode lasts 4-6 hours. Against the background of 7-8 hours, inexpensive competitors look weak.
MTS smartphones, judging by the reviews, suffer from the same drawback. Although the MT 6572 does not have an appetite in terms of power consumption, 1200 mAh batteries are not enough for it. Promotional smartphone cameras are another weak point. Normally they can take a picture only in the bright sun.
"Megaphone Optima" is also criticized for the screen: although the resolution is 800x480 pixels, the viewing angles are far from ideal. When tilted, color distortion appears. Even videos in landscape mode are uncomfortable to watch.
512 MB of RAM make themselves felt. When you run several programs at the same time, the early ones are folded into the cache. The reverse upload requires a wait of 3-5 seconds. Browsers (Chrome, Opera Mobile and Mini, Firefox) may suddenly crash due to lack of RAM.
The fact that new devices are "locked" to work with one operator does not bring joy to users. If you bought the device from Beeline, then it will refuse to work with SIM cards from other companies.
conclusions
Buying a smartphone for 1 ruble (conditionally) is impossible in practice. Remember, you will have to pay for the device. After all, the cost of equipment was taken into account when setting a monthly subscription fee, which is often impossible to refuse.
Users who are just starting to get acquainted with smartphones will find the promotion profitable. For them, the insufficient level of functionality (weak cameras, lack of memory) of promotional devices may not be a serious disadvantage, and the tariff conditions may meet their needs. The counterargument is the short battery life.
MGTS offered its customers to take Samsung smartphone Galaxy J2 Prime in interest-free installments for two years, but as part of connection to services cellular communication, home internet and TV.
In fact, the user receives a smartphone for free, while the subscriber must use the services of the operator for two years, namely, connect to the cellular tariff Smart non-stop, home internet and digital TV.
Smart Non-Stop Tariff includes 20 GB mobile internet, 500 minutes voice calls and 500 SMS to all networks in Russia. As part of the home Internet, the subscriber will receive unlimited access to the Internet at a speed of 200 Mbps. And within the framework of home TV - 131 channels and free TV set-top box rental.
The total cost of the package will be 950 rubles per month, which is equivalent if the user connects to each service separately on the company's website. However, the benefit of the promotion "Smartphone for 1 ruble" is obvious - using the same services of the company, the subscriber will receive a Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime smartphone absolutely free of charge.
The market value of the model is 7999 rubles. After two years, the device becomes the property of the client. If you refuse any of the services or change the tariff plan to any service included in the package, the rent of a smartphone will be 349 rubles per month within two years, after which the smartphone will become the property of the subscriber. Upon termination of the contract, the residual value of the smartphone must be returned: 7990 rubles minus the number of months of using the device, multiplied by 349 rubles.
Dmitry Kulakovskiy, Marketing and Business Development Director, MGTS:
“By offering a modern multifunctional smartphone for just a ruble, we first of all let our customers feel the full range of possibilities of modern telecommunication services. Chosen by us Samsung model Galaxy J2 Prime meets the daily needs of the average Muscovite, and the connection conditions make our offer as profitable as possible. In the future, we plan to expand the range of subsidized equipment, providing the client not only with new opportunities, but also with a choice of gadgets.”
This offer is aimed primarily at Moscow families: the Internet, along with different devices multiple people can use mobile traffic and included minutes will be enough for yourself active user mobile communications in the family and modern smartphone Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime is suitable for both children and adults.
Main samsung specifications Galaxy J2 Prime:
- 5" screen
- main camera 8 MP,
- front camera 5 MP,
- operating room android system 6.0 marshmallow,
- two SIM cards with 4G support,
- 4-core processor with a frequency of 1400 MHz.
In Europe, the sale of subsidized smartphones with a contract from a specific operator is a common practice. The user receives a smartphone at a reduced price and at the same time pays a lower monthly fee for communication services and partially returns the cost of the smartphone. So cellular operators bind new subscribers for a long time.
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About the promotion — subscribers are offered to get a Samsung Galaxy J120 smartphone for just one ruble when connecting a certain tariff. Today we will talk about how it works, what results it can bring, and how to implement such a project without errors.
Why is the operator
To get a smartphone for such favorable conditions users will have to connect the MGTS convergent tariff. It costs 700 rubles per month and allows you to get fixed Internet access at a speed of 150 Mbps, 20 GB of mobile traffic and 500 minutes of calls. After two years of using the services, the phone becomes the property of the owner.
At the same time, if the user decides to refuse part of the MGTS services or change the tariff, he will have to pay 349 rubles a month for using a smartphone until the expiration of two years. If the contract is terminated completely, then it is necessary to return the residual value of the smartphone - 7990 rubles (on the "Market" average price device is approximately 6900 rubles) minus the number of months of use multiplied by 349 rubles.
Representatives of MGTS stated that in the future the lineup devices offered under similar conditions can be expanded, the company plans to sell "tens of thousands of smart phones."
Vedomosti journalists talked to experts who said that the average "lifetime" of a broadband access subscriber in Moscow in the provider's network is 28 months, while the churn rate is about 20%. They are sure that the MGTS action will allow to increase the period of service and reduce the outflow, including by "poaching" subscribers of other operators.
How it works
Tariffs that include services and equipment - as in this case, Internet access and calls for 700 rubles and a smartphone for 1 ruble - are called contract. In such cases, the cost of the equipment is included in the subscription fee, and the subscriber undertakes under the contract to pay it on time within the agreed period. Earlier we talked about the advantages of such tariffs on the example of equipment issued by operators "as a gift". Let's recap the main points.
So, the idea of contract tariffs is simple: in exchange for preferential connection conditions, the subscriber assumes additional (compared to regular tariffs) obligations for payment and the term of using the services. No one will give him anything just like that, therefore, in exchange for preferential terms, the subscriber undertakes to continuously use the services of the operator for a certain time, and in case of violation of payment terms, penalties are charged.
The use of contract tariffs allows operators to solve several problems at once:
- Reduce entry threshold. In many cases, subscriber equipment is not cheap - smartphones, set-top boxes digital television etc. The contract tariff allows the operator to expand the base potential clients, and subscribers do not have to immediately pay a large amount when connecting.
- Increase ARPU. The real cost of the equipment is included in the amount of the monthly payment for services, which is usually higher in the contract tariff than in the tariff without receiving the equipment. As a result, for the term of the contract, the operator not only returns the costs, but also goes into profit. In addition, after the expiration of the contract subscription fee does not change, and a significant part of subscribers will simply forget to change the tariff - so that for some time customers will actually continue to pay for equipment that has already paid off.
- Subscriber retention. To disconnect from the operator at the usual prepaid rate, you just need to stop paying. As a result, it is easier for the subscriber to disconnect than to continue using the services. Not so with contract tariffs - here you need to either return the serviceable equipment to the operator, or money for it. It seems that it is simple, but for the majority of subscribers such a condition will become an insurmountable obstacle, and they will continue to pay. Only the most dissatisfied will reach termination.
If we consider the MGTS case in more detail, then the mathematics will turn out something like this. As a result, the subscriber will pay approximately 350 * 24 = 8400 rubles for a smartphone - the wholesale purchase price of such devices should be supposedly 5000-5500 rubles. Quite acceptable figures, even considering the cost and risks of a two-year installment plan.
In addition, the operator will be able to attract new subscribers to the MVNO project with the new tariff, and will also be able to reduce the outflow of broadband users among those who have connected by several times. Open data on the outflow of MGTS in open access, of course not, but based on our experience, we can assume that from the average market indicator of 25% of the subscriber base per year, it will fall to 5-8%.
This means that MGTS will not need to compensate for losses from quickly disconnected subscribers at the expense of loyal customers. As a result, the operator will be able to have a good margin while maintaining attractive prices. In the case of a package tariff with a smartphone for a ruble, the operator draws the attention of users that they can save "up to 15 thousand rubles a year": 8,000 rubles on buying a phone, and about 7,000 rubles on communication services.
Thus, even in Moscow conditions of fierce competition, competent marketing allows the operator to achieve good results and even increase the subscriber base by "pulling" users of less flexible companies.
What does it take to be "like MGTS"
Contract tariffs are beneficial for the operator - if they are implemented correctly. The main task of the company is to monitor the fulfillment by the subscriber of his contractual obligations. Only if users comply with the terms of the contract (that is, they pay in full and on time), it will be beneficial to the operator.
When we faced the task of implementing contract rates in our Hydra billing, it turned out that solving it was not at all as easy as it was supposed to be. It turned out that there are many pitfalls and edge cases: for example, it is necessary to be able to correctly handle cases of warranty replacement of equipment, a subscriber switching to a more expensive tariff plan, replacing equipment with a more expensive one, early termination of a contract, and so on.
Any company that decides to implement contract tariffs on its own will face these questions. It will be difficult to avoid mistakes along the way, and therefore it makes sense to use billing solutions in which such functionality has already been tested by other operators.