Consumer_Behaviour_Study_on_Vodafone.doc

STUDY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

EXECUTIVE SUMMERY

The study is oriented towards the consumer behavior of the existing and new Vodafone subscribers and the study focuses on the pre-paid services which have been offered by the company.The study was conducted to gauge into the consumers mind and understand the various consumption related aspects of individuals. The study of consumer behavior will help to know the psychological, social and physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become aware of evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about products and services.The objectives of the study is to understand behavioral pattern of potential customer, consumer perception, brand awareness, buying motives and their expectations and satisfaction level to delight them.

Information is collected from different sources. The primary information is obtained by interviewing the customers with the help of questionnaire. The secondary data is collected from company records, through the help of external guide and also through the visit of website of the company www.vodafone.com.Sample size is limited to respondents, who are existing and new Vodafone consumers.

The questionnaire is analyzed with the help of tables and charts. Which may helps to know about consumer perception, awareness and satisfaction level of the consumer etc.Lastly the findings indicate that most of them are satisfied with the products and services and suggestion to be implemented regarding, network, providing subsidized rates for calling and messaging etc .Keeping the above factors and consideration we arrive to suitable conclusion that trends in mobile segment is and its growth is tremendous. If the demand is rising in the same pace then the company should be able to provide innovative products and value added services to the subscribers. Finally an effective sales person has to be employed in order to influence the buyer decisions, the company should have exciting offers with the service they provide. GENERAL INTRODUCTIONDefinition of Consumer Behavior: Consumer behavior has been referred to as all the psychological, social and physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about products and services

All the firms have started considering customer as the king or queen. Interestingly, after the liberalization of India economy, the market place is flooded with many new players including the host of MNCs resulting in then availability of more number of brands in every segment of the market. On account of this consumer has started being choosy about what to buy. Thus all firms are becoming not only customer focused but are also trying to build relationship with them. This is done by continuously updating knowledge, information, and understanding of the customer needs perceptions, and expectations.Concepts: 1) Having a better understanding of consumer behavior will help the firm to become better than their competitors.2) On understanding consumer behavior firm will be able to predict the consumer perceptions and acceptance of their various informational and environmental cues and thus plan their marketing programs or strategies accordingly.3) On understanding consumer behavior firm will be able to predict the consumer satisfaction level.INDUSTRY PROFILE:

INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) was constituted in 1995 as a registered, non-profit, non-governmental society dedicated to the advancement of communication, particularly modern communication through Cellular Mobile Telephone Services. With a vision to establish and sustain a world-class cellular infrastructure and facilitate affordable mobile communication services in India, COAI main objectives are to protect the common & collective interests of its members.The telecom industry is governed under National Telecom Policy -1999

The first GSM call was made in 1996 on Bharti Cellular Network in New Delhi.

SMS service started in the year 2000. India presently follows a CPP model, whereby calling party pays. Incoming calls were made free since April 1, 2002 and that has substantially boosted the subscriber growth rate. In India GPRS is widely offered by major operators. BPL was the first operator to launch GPRS in India, followed by Airtel, Hutch and Idea.The Indian Telecommunications industry is divided into four Service segments:

Basic Services (Conventional Fixed line + CDMA Fixed line)

Mobile (GSM + CDMA)

National Long Distance (NLD) or Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD)

International Long Distance (ILD)

ILD Voice over internet (VoIP)

The entire country is divided into Telecom License Zones known as Circles.

Licenses are awarded to the operators as per the circles, not as per the states.

Each circle requires a different license.OUT LOOKThe recent tariff cuts announced by various telecom operators would affect he bottom line of these companies. The companies that are unequipped to match up with the competition and does not have economies of scale would loose out in this race. Smaller players might find difficult to be in the business and may merge with big players leading to consolidation in the industry. Hike in foreign direct investment (FDI) from 49% to 74% had hit roadblock due to political indifference and security concerns expressed by intelligence bureau. This would block cross border mergers in coming periods.

COMPANY PROFILEAbout Vodafone Essar Limited

Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group Plc and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. Vodafone Essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of Indias mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers*.

Over the years, Vodafone Essar, under the Hutch brand, has been named the 'Most Respected Telecom Company', the 'Best Mobile Service in the country' and the 'Most Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year'. Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications company. It now has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with over 200 million customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market.

The Essar Group is a diversified business corporation with interests spanning the manufacturing and service sectors like Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping & Logistics and Construction. The Group has an asset base of over Rs.400 billion (US$ 10 billion) and employs over 20,000 people.

*Figures from Cellular Operators Association of India, August 31, 2007.Hutch is now Vodafone 19 September 2007 September 19, 2007: Vodafone, the worlds leading international mobile communications company, has fully arrived in India. Vodafone Essar announced that the Vodafone brand will be launched in India from 21st September onwards.Vodafone, the worlds leading mobile telecommunication company, completed the acquisition of Hutchison Essar in May 2007 and the company was formally renamed Vodafone Essar in July 2007. "This transition is probably the largest brand change ever undertaken in this country and arguably as big as any in the world. It is even larger than thier previous brand transitions as it touched over 35 million customers, across 400,000 shops and thousands of our own and our business associates' employees."THE TOP MANAGEMENTAsim Ghosh, Managing Director, Vodafone EssarHarit Nagpal, Marketing and New Business Director, Vodafone EssarSamuel Selvakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Essar

The Vodafone mission is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world enriching customers lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities is more connected by delivering their total communication needs.

Vodafone's logo is a true representation of that belief - The start of a new conversation, a trigger, a catalyst, a mark of true pioneering.SERVICE PROFILEThe name Vodafone comes from Voice data fone chosen by the company to reflect the provision of voice and data over mobile phones.Vodafone services are

TUNES AND DOWNLOADS

SPORTS AND TRAVEL NEWS AND UPDATES

FINANCE

CALL MANAGMT SERVICES

DEVOTIONAL

ASTROLOGY

MAIL, MESSAGE, etc

ENTERTAINMENT

BILL INFOVodafone products are- POST-PAID

PRE-PAID

WORLD CALLING CARDS

HOME CALLING CARDS

VODAFONE -HANDY PHONES VODAFONE- PCO

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMThe study was made on consumer behavior of existing and new Vodafone subscriber. The main aim of the research is to analyze behavior of existing and new Vodafone subscriber to meet their preferences and expectations. To know, perception and satisfaction level of Vodafone services and products. The study of consumer behavior will help to gauze the consumers mind and understand the various consumption related aspects of individuals. Understanding of consumer behavior will make the study of marketing management more interesting, understandable and increase awareness of its practical implications.OBJECTIVES 0F THE STUDY: To understand consumer perception about products and services. To understand the consumers satisfaction level about products and services. To know the market potential of Vodafone products and services. To analyze the brand awareness.SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study is carried out to know the fallowing aspects. To assess, the consumers needs and wants.

To predict, the consumers acceptance of firms various informational and

Environmental cues.

To gauge into the consumers mind and understand different consumption

related aspects, of individuals.

To know the percentage of usage of value added services. To understand, behavior, of brand loyal consumer. To understand, behavioral pattern of potential consumer.

To analyze, the buying motives of the consumers, while making their purchase

decisions. To understand, expectations and satisfaction level, of consumers.

A study of this kind helps to put theoretical aspects into the project and aims to give information. Nature of the study methods used, findings of the investigation, conclusions, and recommendations inferred from the findings aims to enable Vodafone to implement the recommendations made at the end of the study.

The research is purely based on the survey conducted in Bangalore city and has been focused on Vodafone subscribers. The number of respondents intervened is 100.The study covers information about customer brand preference, brand awareness, service attributes, etc. Overall scope of the study would be to enhance the services to the subscribers, in the city.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

SOURCES OF DATA:

Data, facts, figures, other relevant material of past and present and surveying are the basis for study and analysis. Without an analysis of factual data no specific inferences can be drawn on the questions under study. Inferences based on imagination or guesses cannot provide correct answer to research questions. The relevance adequacy and reliability of data determine the quality of the findings of a study.

For the purpose of the present study, data from two sources has been collected, namely primary data and secondary data.

PRIMARY DATA:

Primary data is source from which the researcher collects the data. It is a first hand data, which is used directly for the analysis purposes. Primary data always gives the researcher a fairer picture. In the present study primary data has been collected using questionnaires. For the purpose of collecting the same, 100 respondents have been randomly selected. Even the response of the respondents was taken into consideration. In this study, primary data plays a vital role for analysis, interpretation, conclusion and suggestions.

SECONDARY DATA:

Secondary data is data which is collected and compiled for other purposes. Secondary data also plays a key factor in providing more information which will influence the analysis. Few of the main sources of secondary data include newspapers, business journals, magazines, internet and company reports, etc.POPULATIONThe aggregate of all the units pertaining to a study is called the population. Population is the largest group to be studied. Its the total collection of elements about which we wish to make inferences the populations for this research are the people residing in Bangalore City.SAMPLE DESIGN:The part of the population is known as sample. The process of drawing a sample from a large population is called sampling. The type of sample design used is Random Sampling. Random Sampling gives every unit of the population a known and probability of being selected. Since random sampling implies equal probability to every unit in the population, it is necessary that the selection of Bangalore city only.

SAMPLE PLAN

SAMPLE SIZE:

The sample size for the survey is 100 respondents of which 50 are Existing VODAFONE Subscribers and 50 are New VODAFONE Subscribers.

SAMPLE UNIT

One of the units into which an aggregate is divided or regarded as divided for the purpose of sampling, each unit being regarded as individual and indivisible when the selection is made. The definition of unit may be made on some natural basis for example households, persons, units of product, etc. Hence, in the study the sample unit is Respondents who are Prepaid Vodafone Subscribers.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF DATA COLLECTION:

The following sampling techniques have been implemented:

Personal Interviews: Approaching people personally and interviewing directly.Questionnaire:

Designing the questions, in such a way, that it covers various opinions, views about VODAFONE subscribers at the present market conditions. The questionnaire consisted of various types of questions say Open-ended questionnaire, Close-ended or Dichotomous questions, and Multiple-choice questions.

FIELD WORK

This project involved a field work where in the survey is conducted by having a personal interaction with 100 subscribers who are VODAFONE subscribers. Personal interaction has been carried out and the information sought as was required in the questionnaire for the purpose of data processing and analyzing. The respondents have been directly contacted.DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN:The present study has been designed to collect the opinions and perspectives of the Vodafone subscribers.

The data has been collected through questionnaires filled up by personal interviewing subscribers. The questionnaires have been made as concise as possible. Personal information has been collected in order to know their personal background. The questionnaire has been administered to the respondents directly so that any doubt regarding the questionnaire could be immediately clarified. The questionnaire consisted of various types of question namely multiple choices, close ended, open ended, and ranking etc, a copy of the questionnaire is enclosed in the annexure.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The sampling design carried out is convenience sampling. The marketing research problem calls for the descriptive types of research. Descriptive studies are undertaken in many circumstances. When researcher is interested in knowing the characteristics of certain groups such as age, sex, income level, etc. or in case researcher is interested in knowing the proportion of people in a given population who have behaved in particular manner.

Descriptive research is used for the following data.

Consumer profile study.

Consumer behavior study.

METHODOLOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS

For the purpose of the study the following assumptions have been made.

It has been assumed that the information given by the respondents are authentic, bonfire and genuine.

The sources of the data are the basis, from which the actual required information can be extracted.

The sampling procedure adopted will help in choosing an appropriate sample that truly represents that actual population.

It has also been assumed that interview-questionnaire is more suitable for collecting data for the present day.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:The limitations of the study are as follows:

Sample size of the subscriber is limited.

Many subscribers do not give the exact picture of their opinion.

The time period for conducting the survey is inadequate as the sample size covers only Bangalore city.

One subscriber may have more than one connection.

The opinion of the subscriber depends on the geographical location of the subscriber this may include the network of the provider.

Since its a prepaid service it may be temporarily be used.

Since most of the subscribers are teenagers it fails to give a general view of other age groups.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONData analysis and interpretation about the research is carried out by using tables and

Charts like pie charts and bar charts etc.PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS OF NEW VODAFONE SUBSCRIBERSTABLE 1 Profile of the respondents based on Gender. GENDERNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Male4590%

Female510%

TOTAL50100%

Inference:

From above table it can be inferred that 90% of the respondents are MALE andThe rest are 10% FEMALE.

Interpretation:

Further from the inference the researcher can interpret that majority of the

respondents are males.Graph-1PROFILE BASED ON GENDER.

TABLE 2

Profile of the respondents based on age group.AGE GROUPNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

40 yrs36%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:

From the above table it can be inferred that

76% of the respondents are of age group 18 to 29 years.


6% of the respondents are of less than 6 years and more than 6 years.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above researcher interpret that majority of the respondents are of the age group 18 to 29 years.Graph-2PROFILE BASED ON AGE-GROUP

TABLE 3Profile of the respondents based on Occupation.OCCUPATIONNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Student3672%

Salaried918%

Businessmen24%

Others36%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:From the above table it can be inferred that

72% of the subscribers are students.

18% of the subscribers are salaried.

4% of the subscribers are businessmen.

6% of the subscribers are others.

ITERPRETATION:

From the above inference it is clear that large no of subscribers are students. Graph-3PROFILE BASED ON OCCUPATION.

TABLE 4Profile of the respondents based on Brand-sequence.

BRANDNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Air tel2040%

Vodafone1530%

spice714%

Relience48%

BSNL36%

Tata indicom12%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:


40% of the respondents recalled Air-Tel, first in brand sequencing.30% of the respondents recalled Vodafone, first in brand sequencing.

14% of the respondents recalled Spice, first in brand sequencing.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that most of the subscriber recall the brand Which, they use. Hence majority of the subscribers prefer Air-Tel followed by

Vodafone, Spice, Reliance, and BSNL.Graph-4PROFILE BASED ON Brand-Sequencing.

TABLE 5Profile of the respondents based on Brand-Switching.RESPONSENO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Yes2040%

No3060%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:


40% of the respondents switch their brand.

60% of the respondents do not switch their brand.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that most of the subscribers are loyal to their

brand and there is small percentage of subscribers who switch their brand.Graph-5RESPONDENTS- BRAND SWITCHING PROFILE.

TABLE 6Profile of the respondents-who were Brand-Switched.BRAND NO OF RESPONDENTS

Air Tel to Vodafone 10

Spice to Vodafone 5

Relience to Vodafone 5

Indicom to Vodafone 0

TOTAL20

INFERENCE:

From the above it can be inferred that 40% of the respondents switched brands.

The above table depicts that

10 out of 20 respondents switched brand from Air-Tel to Vodafone.

5 out of 20 respondents switched brand from Spice to Vodafone

5out of 20 respondents switched brand from Relience to Vodafone.INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that there is cut-throat competition between

Vodafone and Air-Tel. When compared Air-Tel has gained a lot by its good networkthan Vodafone.Graph-6RESPONDENTS- BRAND SWITCHED PROFILE.

TABLE 7Profile of the respondents based on Service features.PARAMETERSNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Value Added Services48%

Network2040%

Tariff2244%

Customer Care36%

Others12%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:

From the above table it is inferred that

44% of the respondents opted Vodafone because of Tariffs.

40% of the respondents opted Vodafone because of Network.

8 % of the respondents opted Vodafone because of VAS.

6% of the respondents opted Vodafone because of Customer-care.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that Tariff is the unique selling proposition

For Vodafone followed by others such as advertisements, family and friendsetc

Graph-7RESPONDENTS PROFILE BASED ON SERVICE FEATURES.

PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS OF EXISTING Vodafone, SUBSCRIBERS.TABLE 8

Profile of the respondents based on Gender.

GENDERNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Male4488%

Female612%

TOTAL50100%

Inference:

From above table it can be inferred that 88% of the respondents are MALE and

The rest are 12% FEMALE.

Interpretation:

Further from the inference the researcher can interpret that majority of

respondents are males.

Graph-8PROFILE BASED ON GENDER.

TABLE 9Profile of the respondents based on age group.

AGE GROUPNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

40 yrs48%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:




10% of the respondents are of less than 18 years and 8% are more than 40 years.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above researcher interpret that majority of the respondents are of the age group 18 to 29 years.Graph-9PROFILE BASED ON AGE-GROUP

TABLE 10

Profile of the respondents based on Occupation.OCCUPATION

NO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Student3468%

Salaried1326%

Business24%

Others12%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:


68 % of the subscribers are students.

26% of the subscribers are salaried.

4% of the subscribers are businessmen.

2% of the subscribers are others.

ITERPRETATION:

From the above inference it is clear that large no of subscribers are students.

Graph-10

PROFILE BASED ON OCCUPATION.

TABLE 11Profile of the respondents based on Brand-Switching. RESPONSENO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

YES1122%

NO3978%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:


22% of the respondents switch their brand.

78% of the respondents do not switch their brand.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that most of the subscribers are loyal to their brand and there is small percentage of subscribers who switch their brand.

Graph-11RESPONDENTS- BRAND SWITCHING PROFILE.

TABLE 12Profile of respondents, who, Switched Brand.BRANDNO OF RESPONDENTS

Vodafone to Air -Tel

7

Spice to Vodafone4

Vodafone to reliance0

Vodafone to Tata0

TOTAL11

INFERENCE:

From the above it can be inferred that 22% of the respondents switched brands.

The above table depicts that

7 out of 11 respondents switched brand from Air-Tel to Vodafone.

4 out of 11 respondents switched brand from Spice to Vodafone

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that there is cut-throat competition between

Vodafone and Air-Tel. When compared Air-Tel has gained a lot by its good network

than Vodafone .Graph-12RESPONDENTS- BRAND SWITCHED PROFILE.

TABLE 13PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON USASE OF VALUE ADDED SERVICES

Value Added servicesRESPONSETOTAL

RESPONDENTS

YESNO

Vodafone live153550

Voice mail 49150

Internet203050

SMS45550

Roaming 222850

INFERENCE:

From the above TABLE it can be inferred that

30% of the respondents use Vodafone-live.

98% of the respondents use Voice-mail.

40% of the respondents use internet.

90% of the respondents use SMS.

44% of the respondents use Roaming.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that a majority of the respondents are students who use roaming service are out of the state.

SMS packages should be launched more because 90% of respondents use SMS.Graph-13PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS USAGE OF VALUE ADDED SERVICES.

TABLE 14RESPONDENTS AWARENESS ABOUT VODAFONE PRODUCTS

PRODUCTSRESPONSETOTAL

RESPONDENS

YESNO

Post-paid50050

Pre-paid 50050

World calling cards203050

Home calling cards401050

V-handy phones262450

Vodafone PCO351550

INFERENCE:


100% of the respondents are aware of Vodafone-pre-paid and post-paid products.

40% of the respondents are aware of world calling cards.

80% of the respondents are aware of home calling cards.

70% of the respondents are aware of Vodafone PCO.

INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that a majority of the respondents are awareof Vodafone products.Graph-14PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS AWARENESS ABOUT VODAFONE PRODUCTS

TABLE 15

USER SATISFACTION LEVEL

Profile of the respondents based on ParticularsFully satisfiedSatisfiedNeutralDis satisfiedFully

dissatisfied

Tariffs62010104

Network4162550

Customer care10201082

Availability of SIM and R-Coupons15211031

Roaming81015107

Graph-15USER SATISFACTION LEVEL

TABLE 16PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON OVERALL RATINGPARAMETERSNO OF RESPONDENTSPERCENTAGE

Excellent8

16%

Very Good1020%

Good3060%

Poor24%

Very poor00%

TOTAL50100%

INFERENCE:


60% of the respondents rate good.

20% of the respondents rate very good.

16% of the respondents rate excellent.4% of the respondents rate poor.INTERPRETATION:

From the above, researcher can interpret that by considering all factors like tariffs, Network, customer care, roaming service, etc the overall rating of Vodafone is good.Graph-16PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON OVERALL RATING

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Generally most of the subscribers are students and teenagers.

Majority of the subscribers recalled the brands they used.

The tariffs plan, advertisements and family and friends had huge impact over the subscribers. Most of them opted to Vodafone because it is cost effective.

Roaming services on pre-paid cards are highly utilized.

Majority of the subscribers prefer Vodafone when compared to competitors, because they feel Vodafone is economical.

60% of the respondents said Vodafone is good.

78% of the respondents do prefer to switch their brand.

The network coverage of Vodafone is not as effective as it provides services on 900 MHz, 1800MHz,

OBSERVATIONS: Its observed that most of the subscribers are students and teenagers.

Its observed subscribers recalled the brand which they use.

Its observed that brand switching was not on large scale.

Its is observed that tariffs plans, promotions of the company and influence of Social

Circle had huge impact over the subscribers.

SUGESTIONS, FOR IMPROVEMENT OF VODAFONE SERVICES.

Vodafone is providing very good service to its customers and it is one of the best service providers for telecommunication, it has to make use of its resources optimally.

In addition to implementing the suggestions given by customers, Vodafone should follow the following steps to maximize profits, by means of customer satisfaction in an effective manner.

Respondents suggest that overall service is not satisfactory and not meeting the customer expectations or satisfaction level.

Network is the main factor for customer dissatisfaction, majority of the respondents suggested to increase the number of towers ,widen the coverage to villages and network congestion.

The tariffs have to be consistent for quite some time in order to avoid the confusion among subscribers.

More quickly accessible contact numbers for customer care (increase no of lines) promote them in order make the user aware of the facility.

Provide subsidized rates for calling or messaging to one or two numbers of our choice.

Provide good plans, schemes, and packages in order to have the customer with wide choice.

Keep the subscriber well informed about any deductions or any change in the plan and provide the value for what the customer is paying for.

Customers grievances should be dealt more quickly and immediately.CONCLUSION:

Going mobile is the craze today!!

Now buying mobile is not a rich mans possession any more. The mobile industry is on whopping high. With various technologies creeping in every day you always are on a back seat to keep your self updated. With a major chunk of the users being teenagers it makes the situation more dynamic and he helps to create a niche market in itself.

Looking at the trends in mobile segment, the growth is tremendous. Various cellular providers try to be innovative in providing value added services to the subscribers. If the demand is rising in the same pace then it is sure that the subscriber base of the mobile users will definitely exceed the limit of the land line subscribers.

This report helps in knowing the consumer behavior of the Vodafone subscribers and what perception customers have about the brand Vodafone . With its report company can capture its loose pools or weaknesses and convert them in to their strengths and opportunities.

From the above study we come to the conclusion that in case of parameters of selection, customer or subscriber will first look at the tariffs, network coverage and then other parameters. The subscribers also expect the company to give in detail information of the service they are availing.

An effective sales person has to be employed in order to influence the buyer decision.

The company should have exciting offers with the service they provideANNEXURESGSM Segment Overview

GSM introduced in 1995

One of the fastest growing mobile markets in the World for GSM

Subscriber growth rate for Jan. 2003-2004 was 200% approx.

35 networks on 900 Mhz, 11 on 1800 Mhz Technology

Presently, approximately 1 million GSM subscribers are added every month

Unified license system introduced by government in 2004

3G spectrum decision is awaited

CDMA Segment overview

Present Standard: CDMA 2000 1x

Started in March 2003

Offered by 6 operators

LG and Samsung hold majority device Market share

Streaming media options

Always on internet connectivity @ 114 kbps

Reliance Infocom was the first private operator to start with the CDMA services in India. However, BSNL and MTNL offered CDMA before Reliance they were unable to tap subscribers.

Internet made its entry in India in the year 1995 when VSNL (Videsh Sanchar

Nigam Limited) started with dial-up connections.

The total E-Commerce transaction value in India is estimated to be around 8.7 billion USD in 2003-04. In 2003, the Central Government proposed total outlay of US$560 million for

National plan on e-governance

CIRCLE GROWTHCircle Definition: in India areas classified on the basis of subscriber and revenue potential, Where Metro circle has the highest potential and C circle has the lowest

Entire Nation is divided into 4 circles Metros, A, B & CMetro circle Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata & Chennai

A Circle: States of Maharshtra, Gujarat,Andhra, Karnataka & Tamilnadu

B Circle: States of Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh

C Circle: States of Himachal, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Kashmir and North East States

In circle wise growth C circles continuous to be the fastest growing circle due to its low base. In C circle Reliance and BSNL are the major operators. Reliance is depending on CDMA Technology for its growth. BSNL depends on GSM technology in this circle. Circle A accounts for highest share of 37% and grew by 5.1%.Growth in A circle is lead by Karnataka and Tamilnadu which grew 7.9% and 8.7%.

VAS AWARENESS IN INDIA

EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN INDIA

Technology .

EDGE

CDMA

WI-FI

GPRS

BROADBAND

GSM

INTERNET

CABLE TV

FIRST PHONE

1882199019952001-200220032004-onwards

Number of years.

As in the above chart we see that how technology changed over years from time the first basic phone to mobile technology and now to EDGE technology

GSM OPERATOR- BHARTI Brand Name: AIRTEL

Network: GSM 900, 1800, GPRS, EDGE

Network Coverage: 17 Telecom circles

Subscriber base: 7,062,443 (May 2004)

Subscriptions: Post Paid, Pre PaidVODAFONE TELECOM Brand Name: Vodafone Network: GSM 900, GSM 1800, GPRS, EDGE

Network Coverage: 14 Telecom Circles

Subscriber base: > 5 million

Subscriptions: Post Paid, Pre PaidIDEA Brand Name: IDEA

Network: GSM 900, 1800, GPRS, EDGE


Subscriber base: < 4 million

Subscriptions: Post Paid, Pre Paid

BPL Mobile

Brand Name: BPL

Network: GSM 900, 1800, GPRS


Subscriber base: < 2 million


CDMA Operators - RELIANCE

Brand Name: RIM- Reliance India Mobile

Network: CDMA 2000-1x


Subscriber base: > 6,8 million


TATA INDICOM

Brand Name: TATA or TATA Indicom

Network: CDMA 2000-1x


Subscriber base: > 2 million

Subscriptions: Post Paid, Pre PaidBIBLIOGRAPHY

Portals/Websites:

www.vodafone.com www.airtelworld.com www.businessworldindia.com www.tekesnets.comBusiness Journals:

Business world

Business today

News papers:

Times of India

Economic times

Books referred:

Consumer Behavior in Indian Perspective.

Himalaya Publishing House-Suja R. Nair

What an Idea!

An idea can change your life.

HYPERLINK "http://www.airtel.in" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://bhartiairtel.in/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin/templates/main/images/header/airtellogo.jpg&t=1207055118&hash=2726bef444c7e564b89c3b911a7ca965" \* MERGEFORMATINET

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