STUDY OF CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS MOBILE PRE-PAID

PRODUCTS AND HANDSET MODELS

A REPORT SUBMITTED TO ACCURATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND

TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA AS A MANDATORY PART OF PDGM
CURRICULUM

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

PGP CELL MANISH KUMAR SAHOO
AIMT, DM0847
GREATER NOIDA 2008-10

ACCURATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY

49, KNOWLEDGE PARK-III, GREATER NOIDA, (U.P.) 201308
E-MAIL: pgpcell@accurate.in
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report study of CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR
TOWARDS MOBILE PRE-PAID PRODUCTS AND HANDSET MODELS submitted to
ACCURATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA by
MANISH KUMAR SAHOO in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of po
st
graduate diploma in management is an original work carried out by the below ment
ioned student
under the guidance and supervision of the below mentioned guide. This work has n
ot been
submitted anywhere else for any degree/diploma under my signature. The original
work was
carried out during 1ST MAY TO 30TH JUNE 2009 in RELIANCE COMMUNICATION
Signature of the student: _______________________________________
Name of the student: ___________________________________________
Dated: ______________________________
Signature of the Industry Guide: _____________________________________________
Name of the industry Guide: ________________________________________________
Designation of the Industry Guide: ___________________________________________
E-mail Address: __________________________________________________________
Mailing Address: _________________________________________________________
Dated: __________________ Seal/Stamp of the Organization
Signature of the faculty supervisor: ___________________________________________
_
Name of the faculty supervisor: _______________________________________________
Dated: ______________________________
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of any ta
sk would be
incomplete without the mention of the people who made it possible and constant g
uidance and
encouragement of them heads all efforts with success
If words are considered to be signs of gratitude, then let these words convey th
e very same my
sincere gratitude to the entire team of RELIANCE COMMUNICATION for providing me
with
an opportunity to work with the organization and giving me necessary directions
on doing this
project to the best of my abilities.
I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude to my project mentor Mr. Prasanjit
Das Senior
Manager at Reliance Communication and Mr. Abhishek Roy Marketing executive for g
uiding
me through this whole project and also smoothened most hurdles that I faced duri
ng the course
of the project.
My special thanks to Mr. Latil Surin Marketing executive for his kind support to
make this
project successful.
I would also like to express my thanks to my project guide Prof. Nidhi Khurana o
f Accurate
Institute of Management and Technology Grt. Noida for guiding me throughout the
project.
Finally, yet importantly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my belo
ved parents for
their blessings, my friends/classmates for their help and wishes for the success
ful completion of
this project.
And to God, who made all things possible.
DECLARATION
I, Manish Kumar Sahoo, do hereby declare that this report entitled: CONSUMER BUYI
NG
BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MOBILE PRE-PAID PRODUCTS AND HANDSET MODELS
has been carried out by me under the guidance of Prof. Nidhi Khurana , professor in
Marketing, at ACCURATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY,
GREATER NOIDA. The project is completed as per the norms prescribed by the Accur
ate
Management Centre and the same work has not been copied from any source directly
without
acknowledging for the part/section that has been adopted from published/non publi
shed works.
I further declare that the information presented in this project is true and ori
ginal to the best of
my knowledge.
Date:
Place Manish Kumar Sahoo
AIMT, Grt Noida
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The concept of buying behavior is of prime importance in marketing and has evolved
over the
years. It is important to understand consumer buying behavior as it plays a vita
l role in creating
an impact on purchase of products.
The human wants are unlimited and always expect more and more. Mobile pre-paid p
roducts and
Mobile handsets are no exception to this behavior. This lead to constant modific
ations of Mobile
pre-paid products and mobile handsets and today we see lots of pre-paid products
and new
handset coming into the market practically every month.
In this research study my findings gave me a through insight of consumer buying
behavior
towards mobile pre-paid products and handset models.
I found that consumers consider various parameters while buying a mobile operato
r and mobile
handsets.
Factors such as better connectivity, attractive tariff and low entry cost plays
an important role in
influencing a customer for opting any network similarly price, functions availin
g and long
battery backup are considered very important factors for a customer before buyin
g a handset
model.
The study also helps me to know what are the major factors of dissatisfaction am
ong the people
after using a mobile operator.
On the whole, the market is a very important place to study the behavior of cons
umers and also
Provide useful insights what a consumer requires in a product. It is only throug
h research that an
Company will be able to study the buying behavior of consumers.
INTRODUCTION
INDIAN TELECOM SCENARIO- AT A GLANCE

The Indian Telecommunications network with 429.72 million for the quarter ending
March 2009
is the fifth largest in the world taking the teledensity up to 36.98 and is the
second largest among
the emerging economies of Asia.
Today, it is the fastest growing market in the world and represents unique oppor
tunities for U.S.
companies in the stagnant global scenario. The total subscriber base is expected
to reach 500
million by next year.
India had 109.7 million rural mobile subscribers at the end of the first quarter
, up by 18 percent
from 93.2 million users in the fourth quarter of last year.
Despite the global economic slowdown India s mobile phone market continues to be u
naffected
by the economic slowdown, with 11.9 million new mobile subscribers in April 2009
. That s a 45
percent greater increase than in the same month last year.
The wireless technologies currently in use are Global System for Mobile Communic
ations
(GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). There are primarily 9 GSM and 5
CDMA
operators providing mobile services in 19 telecom circles and 4 metro cities, co
vering 2000
towns across the country.
List of GSM operators operating in INDIA. List of CDMA operators operating in IN
DIA.
1 Bharti Airtel 1. Tata teleservices
2 Vodafone Essar 2. Reliance CDMA
3 BSNL 3. Virgin
4 IDEA
5 Aircel
6 Reliance Telecom
8 MTNL
9 BPL
EVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRY-IMPORTANT MILESTONES
History of Indian Telecommunications
Year
1851
1881
1883
1923
1932
1947
1985
1986
First operational land lines were laid by the government near
Calcutta (seat
of British power)
Telephone service introduced in India
Merger with the postal system
Formation of Indian Radio Telegraph Company (IRT)
Merger of ETC and IRT into the Indian Radio and Cable
Communication
Company (IRCC)
Nationalization of all foreign telecommunication companies to
form the
Posts, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT), a monopoly run by the
government's Ministry of Communications
Department of Telecommunications (DOT) established, an
exclusive
provider of domestic and long-distance service that would be its
own
regulator (separate from the postal system)
Conversion of DOT into two wholly government-owned
companies: the
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international
telecommunications and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited
(MTNL) for service in
metropolitan areas.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India created.
1999 1999 Cellular Services are launched in India. New National
Telecom Policy is
adopted.
2000
DoT becomes a corporation, BSNL

Telecommunication market: TM and TAM revenue forecasts (India), 2003-2015

MAJOR PLAYERS IN TELECOM INDUSTRY
BSNL:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World's 7th largest
Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in
India:
Wireline, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VP
N,
VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services etc. Within a span of five years it has become
one of the
largest public sector unit in India. BSNL has more than 2.5 million WLL subscrib
ers and 2.5
million Internet Customers who access Internet through various modes viz. Dial-u
p, Leased
Line, DIAS, Account Less Internet(CLI). BSNL has been adjudged as the NUMBER ONE
ISP
in the country. Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is
more than
Rs.351,820 million (US $ 8 billion) with net profit to the tune of Rs.99,390 mil
lion (US $ 2.26
billion) for last financial year. The infrastructure asset on telephone alone is
worth about
Rs.630,000 million (US $ 14.37 billion).
BHARTI AIRTEL:
Established in 1985, Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector wi
th many firsts
and innovations to its credit, ranging from being the first mobile service in De
lhi, first private
basic telephone service provider in the country, first Indian company to provide
comprehensive
telecom services outside India in Seychelles and first private sector service pr
ovider to launch
National Long Distance Services in India. Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited was incor
porated on
July 7, 1995 for promoting investments in telecommunications services. Its subsi
diaries operate
telecom services across India. Bharti s operations are broadly handled by two comp
anies: the
Mobility group, which handles the mobile services in 16 circles out of a total 2
3 circles across
the country; and the Infotel group, which handles the NLD, ILD, fixed line, broa
dband, data, and
satellite-based services. Together they have so far deployed around 23,000 km of
optical fiber
cables across the country, coupled with approximately 1,500 nodes, and presence
in around 200
locations. Consolidate its position to be the leading integrated telecommunicati
ons services
provider in key markets in India, with a focus on providing mobile services .
TATA TELESERVICES:
Tata Teleservices is part of the Tata Group. Tata Teleservices spearheads the Gr
oup s
presence in the telecom sector. Incorporated in 1996, Tata Teleservices was the
first to launch
CDMA mobile services in India with the Andhra Pradesh circle.
The company acquired Hughes Telecom (India) Limited [now renamed Tata Teleservic
es
(Maharashtra) Limited] in December 2002. With a total Investment of Rs 19,924 Cr
ore, Tata
Teleservices has created a Pan India presence spread across 20 circles that incl
udes Andhra
Pradesh, Chennai, Gujarat, J & K, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, North E
ast, Tamil
Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh
(E), Uttar
Pradesh (W), Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The company is the
market
leader in the fixed wireless telephony market with a total customer base of over
3.8 million.
RELIANCE COMMUNICATION:
Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance Infocomm), along with Reliance Teleco
m
and Flag Telecom, is part of Reliance Communications Ventures (RCoVL). It is
an Indian telecommunications company. According to National Stock Exchange data,
Anil
Dhirubhai Ambani controls 66.77 per cent of the company, which accounts for more
than 1.36
billion shares. It is the flagship company of the Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group,
comprising of power (Reliance Energy), financial services (Reliance Capital) and
telecom
initiatives of the Reliance ADAG. It uses CDMA2000 1x technology for its
existing CDMA mobile services, and GSM-900/GSM-1800 technology for its existing/
newly
launched GSM services.
RelCom is also into Wireline Business throughout India and has the largest optic
al
fiber communication (OFC) backbone architecture [roughly 110,000 km] in the coun
try. On the
30th December 2008, Reliance Communications became the first telecom operator in
the history
of Indian telecommunications to simultaneously launch its GSM services in 17 cir
cles, namely
Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Ke
rala,
Madhya Pradesh (excluding East Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh ), Maharashtra, M
umbai,
Punjab, Rajasthan, Sharjah, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh(East & West) thereby estab
lishing itself
as a pan-India operator.It already operates GSM services in 8 circles namely Ass
am, Bihar,
Himachal Pradesh, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, North Eastern states, Orissa, West Be
ngal.
AIRCEL:
Aircel is a mobile phone service provider in India. It offer both prepaid and po
stpaid GSM
cellular phone coverage throughout Tamil Nadu(including Chennai), Andhra Pradesh
,
Assam, North East India, Orissa, West Bengal (including Kolkata), Jammu and Kash
mir, Bihar,
Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh & Mumbai. Aircel was founded by NRI business
man
C Sivasankaran. Aircel is a joint venture between Maxis Communications
Berhad of Malaysia and Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd of India. It is India s seve
nth largest
GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of over 18 million. It has a
market share of
6.3% among the GSM operators in the country. As on date, Aircel is present in 17
telecom
circles (including Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Nort
h East,
Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Delhi) and with licences secured for
the remaining
10 of the 23 telecom circles, the company plans to become a pan-India operator b
y 2009.
Additionally, Aircel has also obtained permission from Department of Telecommuni
cations
(DoT) to provide International Long Distance (ILD) and National Long Distance (N
LD)
telephony services. It is also a category A ISP.
IDEA CELLULAR:
Idea Cellular is a wireless telephony company operating in various states in Ind
ia. It initially
started in 1995 as a joint venture among the Tatas, Aditya Birla Group and AT&T
by merging
"'Wings Cellular'" operating in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (UP) West, Rajasth
an and Tata
Cellular as well as Birla AT&T Communications.
Initially having a very limited footprint in the GSM arena, the acquisition of E
scotel in 2004
gave Idea a truly pan-India presence covering Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh (East and
West), Haryana, Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi (inclusive of NCR).
The company has its retail outlets under the "Idea n' U" banner. The company has
also been the
first to offer flexible tariff plans for prepaid customers. It also offers GPRS
services in urban
areas.
VODAFONE ESSAR:
Vodafone Essar, previously Hutchison Essar is a cellular operator in India that
covers 23
telecom circles in India. Despite the official name being Vodafone Essar, its pr
oducts are simply
branded Vodafone. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverag
e throughout
India with good presence in the metros.
Vodafone Essar provides 2.75G services based on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz digital GSM
technology, offering voice and data services in 23 of the country's 23 license a
reas. It is among
the top three GSM mobile operators of India.
Vodafone Essar is owned by Vodafone 52%, Essar Group,33% and other Indian nation
als, 15%.
VIRGIN MOBILE INDIA:
Virgin Mobile India Limited is a cellular telephone service provider company whi
ch is a joint
venture between Tata Teleservices and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Currently,
the company
uses Tata's CDMA network to offer its services under the brand name Virgin Mobil
e, but it has
also announced plans to foray into the GSM space as well. In May 2007, the Tata
Group and the
Virgin Group finalized plans to form a corporate vehicle through which the latte
r's mobile
service could be launched in India. Since Mobile Virtual Network Operators are n
ot permitted to
operate in India due to the current regulations prevailing there, a 50:50 joint
venture model was
adopted.
Virgin Mobile was officially launched on March 2, 2008.

THE COMPANY
RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS AT A GLANCE

Reliance Communications is the flagship company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Gro
up
(ADAG) of companies. It is listed on the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay
Stock
Exchange, and is India s leading integrated telecommunication company with over 80
million
customers. The business encompasses a complete range of telecom services coverin
g mobile and
fixed line telephony. It includes broadband, national and international long dis
tance services and
data services along with an exhaustive range of value-added services and applica
tions wih a
constant endeavour to achieve customer delight by enhancing the productivity of
the enterprises
and individuals. It is ranked among Asia's 6 Topmost Valuable Telecom Companies
and is
India's foremost truly integrated telecommunications service provider. The compa
ny's customer
base of over 31 million including close to 1 million individual overseas retail
customers, and is
rated among the Top 10 Asian Telecom companies. Reliance Communications corporat
e
clientele includes 600 Indian and 250 multinational corporations, and over 200 g
lobal carriers.
The company has established a pan-India, next generation, integrated (wireless a
nd wireline),
convergent (voice, data and video) digital network that is capable of supporting
best-of-class
services spanning the entire Infocomm value chain, covering over 6000 towns and
3,00,000
villages. Reliance Communications owns and operates World's largest next generat
ion IP
enabled connectivity infrastructure, comprising over 150,000 kilometers of fibre
optic cable
systems in India, USA, Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. The comp
any's
subsidiary, FLAG Telecom owns World's largest private undersea cable system, spa
nning
65,000 kilometers connects the top business centers in developed and emerging ma
rkets across 6
continents.
Reliance Communications has interests in Direct To Home (DTH) TV also, known as
"Big TV".
It plans to launch its DTH business by July 2008. Once launched, RelCom will hav
e presence
across all B2C communications channel in one of the fastest growing markets in t
he world.
On the 30th December 2008, Reliance became the first telecom company in India to
operate in
both CDMA as well as GSM technologies.
VISION
We will leverage our strengths to execute complex global-scale projects to facili
tate leading-
edge information and communication services affordable to all individual consume
rs and
businesses in India.
We will offer unparalleled value to create customer delight and enhance business
productivity.
We will also generate value for our capabilities beyond Indian borders and enabl
e millions of
India's knowledge workers to deliver their services globally.
MISSION:

To attain global best practices and become a world-class communication service p

rovider
guided by its purpose to move towards greater degree of sophistication and matur
ity.
To work with vigor, dedication and innovation to achieve excellence in service q
uality,
reliability, safety and customer care as the ultimate goal.
To consistently achieve high growth with the highest levels of productivity.
To be a technology driven, efficient and financially sound organisation.
To contribute towards community development and nation building.
To be a responsible corporate citizen nurturing human values and concern for soc
iety, the
environment and above all, the people.
To promote a work culture that fosters individual growth, team spirit and creati
vity to
overcome challenge and attain goals.
To encourage ideas, talents and value systems.
To uphold the guiding principle of trust, integrity and transparency in all aspe
cts
ofinterpretation and dealings.
BROAD OF DIRECTORS

Shri Anil D. Ambani - Chairman

Prof. J Ramachandran
Shri S.P. Talwar
Shri Deepak Shourie
Shri A.K.Purwar
CHAIRMAN'S PROFILE: ANIL DHIRUBHAI AMBANI
Regarded as one of the foremost corporate leaders of contemporary India,Shri Ani
l D Ambani, 48,
is the chairman of all listed companies of the Reliance ADA Group, namely, Relia
nce
Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources
limited.
He is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of I
nformation and
Communication Technology, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat.
Till recently, he also held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing Director of R
eliance Industries
Limited (RIL), India s largest private sector enterprise.
Anil D Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer, and was cen
trally involved
in every aspect of the company s management over the next 22 years.
He is credited with having pioneered a number of path-breaking financial innovat
ions in the Indian
capital markets. He spearheaded the country s first forays into the overseas capit
al markets with
international public offerings of global depositary receipts, convertibles and b
onds. Starting in 1991,
he directed Reliance Industries in its efforts to raise over US$ 2 billion. He a
lso steered the 100-year
Yankee bond issue for the company in January 1997.
RELIANCE COMMUNICATION: THE JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
1999 The Dream, 1999
"Make a phone call cheaper than a postcard and you will usher in a revolutionary

transformation in the lives of millions of Indians" - Dhirubhai Ambani

The Reality, November 15
Reliance Infocomm begins Project Planning
2000 10-May
Optic fibre laying process commences in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra
2001 1-May
First Media Convergence Node made "Ready for Electronics" at Jaipur
2002 15-Jan
First Base Transceiver Station (BTS) made "Ready for Electronics"
25-Feb
Obtains International Long Distance License from Govt. of India
22-Dec
Commissions 1st Optic Fibre Backbone ring
24-Dec
Establishes 1st Point of Interconnect (POI) in New Delhi
27-Dec
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee e-inaugurates Reliance
Infocomm
Hon'ble Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Information Technology and
Communications, Pramod Mahajan, inaugurates NNOC
2003 15-Jan
Introduces Dhirubhai Ambani Pioneer Offer for Reliance IndiaMobile service
14-Feb
Launches Reliance WebWorld in top 16 cities
31-Mar
Launches International Long Distance Services
3-Apr
Commissions all backbone rings
25-Apr
Introduces colour handsets
1-May
Launches Reliance IndiaMobile Service commercially in top 92 cities
with one million customers.
10-Jun
Launches India's first wireless Point of Sale (POS)
1-Jul
Introduces "Monsoon Hungama" Offer: Instant multimedia mobile phone and
connection for just Rs 501.
Sets world record - acquires one million customers in 10 days

3-Jul
Launches R Connect Internet connection cable
26-Aug
Introduces Reliance IndiaPhone Fixed Wireless Phone and Terminal
20-Sep
"Navratri" a data service in R-World posts a world record of 10 million download
s
on the first day of the launch.
30-Sep
R World clocks a phenomenal 1 billion hits in 1 month
6-Oct
Launches integrated broadband centre at Reliance WebWorld, Bangalore
24-Oct
Deploys pilot of Home Netway in Mumbai
30-Oct
Reliance becomes India's largest mobile service provider within 7 months of
commercial launch
3-Nov
Customer base touches 5 million
12-Nov
Migrates to Unified License Regime
16-Nov
Launches National Roaming
21-Nov
Launches International SMS to 159 countries launched
19-Dec
Adds 4500th Contact Centre Executive
Contact Centre becomes the largest such facility deployed by any single Indian
Service Provider
2004 12-Jan
International wholesale telecommunications service provider, FLAG Telecom
amalgamates with Reliance Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance
Infocomm
9-Feb
Launches RIM Prepaid with attractive offer - For Rs 3500 get a Motorola C131
mobile phone and Rs 3240 worth of re- charge vouchers instantly and stay connect
ed
for 1 year
17-Feb
Reliance subsidiary Flag Telecom announces FALCON Project - a major new
Middle East Loop Terabits Submarine Cable System with links to Egypt and Hong
Kong via India
22-Mar
Reliance Infocomm launches multi-player gaming on RIM handsets - a first in Indi
a
5-Apr
Reliance IndiaMobile introduces International Roaming facility to 172 countries,
300
networks
23-Apr
Reliance Infocomm introduces first ever auction facility on Mobile phones throug
h
R World.
27-May
Reliance Infocomm receives the Most Promising Service Provider of the Year 2003
(Asia Pacific) award at the Asia Pacific Technology Awards instituted by Frost &
Sullivan.
8-Jun
Reliance Infocomm introduces World Card - a Prepaid International calling card f
or
affordable and convenient ISD calls from India.
29-Jul
Announces India's First MPLS Global VPN Solution in partnership with MCI
5-Aug
Launches the first regional Customer Contact Centre in Chennai
6-Sep
Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Infocomm, receives Voice & Data
"Telecom Man of the Year" award
9-Sep
Introduces Railway Ticket booking from R World data applications suite of Relian
ce
IndiaMobile
12-Oct
Mukesh Ambani voted the world s most infuential telecom person by UK-based
publication Total Telecom.
19-Oct
Reliance Infocomm bags the CDMA Development Group's 3G CDMA Industry
Achievement Award for International Leadership.
2005 4-Jan
Reliance introduces first e-recharge facility in CDMA in India.
24-Jan
Reliance IndiaMobile announces mega rural plan to cover 4 lakh villages and 65
crore Indians by December 2005.
26-Jun
Anil Ambani appointed Chairman of Reliance Infocomm
30-Jul
Air Deccan and Reliance WebWorld join hands to offer air ticket booking facility
 at
Reliance WebWorld
11-Aug
XLRI's Post-Graduate Certificate programme in Logistics Supply Chain
Management (PGCLSCM) launched on Reliance WebWorld's virtual classroom
platform. first of its kind e-learning programme in India.
18-Aug
Reliance Infocomm rolls out international roaming facility across several countr
ies
to become the first Indian CDMA operator to offer its customers such a service.
6-Sep
Reliance Infocomm tied-up with the Bombay Stock Exchange to make available live
stock quotes on its mobile phones.
15-Sep
Reliance Communications, UK launched Reliance IndiaCall service in England and
Wales enabling callers to make high-quality calls to India from any landline or
mobile phone at economical rates.
21-Sep
Apollo Hospital and Reliance Infocomm join hands to provide top class healthcare

service to millions of Indians in over a hundred Indian cities.

13-Oct
Reliance WebWorld wins Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award for Video
Conferencing services.
12-Nov
Reliance Infocomm hosts the 4th global CDMA Operators Summit.
22-Nov
Reliance Infocomm joins hands with Indian Airlines to offer India's first mobile

booking of domestic airline ticket.

30-Nov
Reliance Infocomm introduces MOREbile, redefines customer rewarding with 33 %
more talk time on prepaid recharges of Rs 315 denomination and above and much
more.
12-Dec
Reliance Infocomm and China Telecom sign agreement for telecom services to
provide direct telecommunication service, including a global hubbing service, to

subscribers in the two countries.

2006 1-Jan
Reliance Infocomm launches "One Nation, One Tariff" to enable Reliance
IndiaMobile prepaid users to call anywhere in India at Re one per minute.
19-Jan
Reliance Demerger adds record Rs.55, 000 Crore to shareholder wealth
23-Jan
TIMES NOW launched on Reliance Mobile Phones, making it the world s first TV
channel to be launched on a mobile phone.
6-Mar
Reliance Communications Ventures Ltd. (RCVL), India's leading integrated
telecommunications company, a member of the Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
group, lists on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange.
21-Mar
Reliance Infocomm introduces R World in Hindi to become the world's first operat
or
to offer mobile data services in more than one language on the same handset. Thi
s
will make it possible for millions of Indians to access the popular R World with

hundreds of every-day-use applications in the national language.

23-Mar
Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group signs up Indian cricket's whiz kid and
heartthrob of millions Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the brand ambassador for Reliance

Communications Ventures Ltd.

29-Mar
Reliance Infocomm becomes India s first telecom operator to launch seamless inter-
standard international roaming service - 1World.1Number, with single number on
international CDMA and GSM networks.
27-Apr
Reliance Communications launches India s first Talking Message Service (TMS)
enabling its mobile users to send voice messages to not only other mobiles but a
lso
fixed wireless phones (FWP) and landlines.
22-Jun
Reliance Communications ties up with Disney to offer on Reliance Mobile World
India's first 3D animation on mobile.
3-Jul
Reliance Communications launches 'Hello Capital Plan' to enable its subscribers
in
19 state capitals to call each other at the local call rate of 40 paise per minu
te.
2007 January 10
Reliance Communications adds a record 1.4 million subscribers in December 06
January 18
Reliance Communication launches unique "Simply 2030" plan on Reliance Hello
January 25
Reliance Communications promotes Roger Waters Music Concert
January 29
RCOM shareholders approve tower business demerger with a 99.99% overwhelming
majority
January 30
Overwhelming response to Reliance World s National Digital Elocution Competition
January 30
Reliance joins Lenovo and Intel for "Internet on the Move"
February 2
Reliance Communications market capitalization tops Rs 1 lakh crore ( 1 trillion r
upees
or 24.39 billion US dollars) on Bombay Stock Exchange
February 16
Reliance Communications offers best value on roaming
February 26
Search Jobs & Classified Ads from Reliance Mobile World - Reliance Communication
s
ties up with Naukri.com
March 6
Reliance Communications ushers in Virtual Global Conference Network
March 7
DHIRUBHAI AMBANI THE MAN I KNEW By KOKILABEN
Book on Founder Chairman launched.
March 8
Reliance Communications launches Roam Jamaica on Reliance Mobile
March 16
Reliance Mobile launches ' Suno Zee
March 19
Demerger of Passive Infrastructure division Reliance Communications & Reliance
Telecom approved by the Bombay High Court
March 21
Reliance World Offers Program to Help Students Crack Admissions in Colleges Abroa
d
March 23
Govt s Rural Telephone Scheme(RDEL)through Reliance Communications successfully
closes by March 31,2007
March 26
Booking train ticket from Reliance Mobile Phones becomes more easy now with ITZ
Cash Cards
April 4
Reliance Communications unleashes the power of mobile advertising
April 6
Reliance Communications acquires 1.2 million subscribers in March 2007.
April 11
Sunny Days And Nights For Reliance Mobile Subscribers as
Reliance Communications ties up with SUN TV to offer video streaming of all SUN
TV
programs online 24x7
April 11
Reliance World launches summer e camp for school kids
April 30
RCOM first listed Indian telecom company to reward shareholders
May 2
A Classic Bonanza Reliance Communications unveils handsets @ Rs 777
May 9
RCOM bags West Bengal E-Governance Project
May 10
Reliance sets a new record, one million Classic handsets sold in just one
May 12
Reliance Communications slashes rate to US and Canada. It's now just Rs 1.99 per
minute
May 14
Reliance Communications launches Classic Color Bonanza - Color handsets @ Rs 123
4
May 17
RCOM kick starts world's fastest and largest rural infrastructure rollout on Wor
ld
Telecom Day.
May 18
Reliance Communications Launches Lifetime Validity Recharge @ Just Rs.499.
May 22
RCOM slashes roaming rates by as much as 70 percent
May 25
Reliance Communications launches unlimited calling
June 5
RCOM hosts seminar on Emerging Trends in Mobile Applications Development
June 6
Reliance Communications adds 1.4 million new mobile subscribers in May2007
June 6
Reliance Classic' Makes Music - FM Radio Phones Launched at just Rs.1888
June 27
Reliance World, BIMTECH & Philadelphia University unveil Executive Program in
Retail Management (EPRM)
June 28
Reliance Communications ties up with Cisco to launch Business Internet Services
for
SMEs in Pune
July 4
Bengali movie Anuranan on Reliance Mobile World
July 7
RCOM and QUALCOMM Collaborate on CDMA2000 Expansion
July 12
Reliance Communications awards Alcatel-Lucent a Next-Gen network expansion
contract
July 12
Reliance Communications awards Huawei all IP Next-Gen network expansion contract

July 19
RCOM announces sale of equity stake in its Tower Company-Reliance Telecom
Infrastructure Limited
July 19
RCOM's AGM on Reliance Mobile World
July 23
Reliance Communications launches Passport Calling Solutions
July 25
RCOM join hands with Yatra.com for air and hotel bookings
August 20
RCOM offers 'Live Mandi Prices' on Reliance Mobile World
August 31
Reliance Communications , the official global partner for the first edition of I
CC Twenty
20 World Cup Championship 2007 in South Africa unveils the coveted Trophy in
Mumbai and announces Dhoni - Dhanadan Pack
September 9
Reliance Communications launches Money Transfer on Reliance Mobile Phones
September 10
RCOM launches BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone
'Bloomberg Professional' now on Reliance Mobile
September 11
Reliance Communications ties up with Sulekha.com to offer local search on Relian
ce
Mobile World
September 18
Strategic partnership with Vanco
October 3
Reliance Communications announces Classic Celebrations- Classic Handset sales to
p 10
million- Color Handset @ Rs.999
October 20
Reliance Communications to launch nationwide GSM Services under existing Unified
Access Service Licenses
October 22
Reliance Communications brings 'Durgotsav Live' Videocast on mobile
November 7
Reliance Communications Launches 'Diwali Dhamaka'
November 15
RCOM launches Rural Mobile Application Contest
November 16
Fair & Lovely Scholarship on Reliance Mobile World is winner at the MMA awards,
USA
November 27
FLAG and GlassHouse ink landmark partnership
December 11
Reliance Communications adjudged World s Top CDMA Operator at the Global CDMA
Industry Achievements Awards Fete
December 20
Reliance Communications completes Yipes acquisition
December 24
RCOM announces special offers for Christmas and New Year.
200 January 12
8
Reliance Communications receives Start-up GSM Spectrum
January 16

Yahoo partners with Reliance Communications to provide Yahoo One Search for its
CDMA and GSM customers.
January 31
RCOM's Q 3 Net Profit increases by 48.5% and Revenues Up by 29.8 %. Remains the
most profitable Telecom Company in India.
February 4
Reliance Communications offers Lifetime Validity at Rs 199
RCOM s subsidiary Infratel files Draft Red Herring Prospectus with SEBI
February 5
Reliance Mobile strengthens its religious content portfolio on Mobile by tie-up
with
Sadhana TV
February 14
RCOM in partnership with CanvasM, launches Mulitplayer Mobile Games
February 19
HDFC Bank ties up with RCOM, turns every Reliance Mobile into a credit card
February 27
Reliance Communications consolidates Global Telecom Business under Business
Globalcom
Reliance Communications forays into International Mobile Market with GSM License
in
Uganda.

March 3
Reliance Communications drops prices of Internet Data Cards
March 10
Reliance Communications announces ESOPs for over 20,000 employees
March 20
Reliance Communications and HTC forge Strategic Alliance
May 2
Reliance Communications Net Profit up by 70.8% to Rs 5,401 crore (US$ 1,350millio
n),
Revenues higher by 31.8% to Rs.19, 068 crore (US$ 4,765 million) and EBIDTA
increases by 43.3% to Rs.8, 199 crore (US$ 2049 million)
May 12
Reliance Communications and Alcatel form Joint Venture to offer Managed Network
Services to telcos across the globe
May 26
Reliance Globalcom acquires UK based VANCO Group Limited
June 24
Reliance Globalcom, Stealth Communications forge Strategic Alliance to extend VO
IP
Network across 50 countries
July 12
CA Exam Results on Reliance Mobile
July 22
Reliance Communications Mobile Subscriber base crosses 50 Million
July 29
CA Professional Exam Results on Reliance Mobile
July 31
Reliance Communications (RCOM) announces its financial results for the first qua
rter
ended June 30, 2008. Net Profit up by 23.9% to Rs. 1,512 crore (US$ 352 million)

PRODUCTS
Classic Range of Handsets
LG Range of Handsets
BlackBerry
World Roaming
Range of Unlimited products:
Rural Telephony
Data Card Business
Long distance voice services
Global mobile services
Global data services
Broadband
LITERATURE REVIEW
GOVERNMENT POLICY AND GUIDELINES
In 1994, the Government announced the National Telecom Policy which defined cert
ain
important objectives, including availability of telephone on demand, provision o
f world class
services at reasonable prices, ensuring India's emergence as major manufacturing
/ export base of
telecom equipment and universal availability of basic telecom services to all vi
llages. It also
announced a series of specific targets to be achieved by 1997. As against the NT
P 1994 target of
provision of 1 PCO per 500 urban population and coverage of all 6 lac villages,
DoT has
achieved an urban PCO penetration of 1 PCO per 522 and has been able to provide
telephone
coverage to only 3.1 lac villages. As regards provision of total telephone lines
in the country,
DoT has provided 8.73 million telephone lines against the eighth plan target of
7.5 million lines.
In addition to some of the objectives of NTP 1994 not being fulfilled, there hav
e also been far
reaching developments in the recent past in the telecom, IT, consumer electronic
s and media
industries world-wide. Convergence of both markets and technologies is a reality
that is forcing
realignment of the industry. At one level, telephone and broadcasting industries
are entering each
other's markets, while at another level, technology is blurring the difference b
etween different
conduit systems such as wireline and wireless. The new telecom policy framework
is also
required to facilitate India's vision of becoming an IT superpower and develop a
world class
telecom infrastructure in the country.
Access to telecommunications is of utmost importance for achievement of the coun
try's social
and economic goals. Availability of affordable and effective communications for
the citizens is
at the core of the vision and goal of the telecom policy.
The objectives of the NTP 1999 are as under:

Access to telecommunications is of utmost importance for achievement of the coun

try's
social and economic goals. Availability of affordable and effective communicatio
ns for
the citizens is at the core of the vision and goal of the telecom policy.
Strive to provide a balance between the provision of universal service to all un
covered
areas, including the rural areas, and the provision of high-level services capab
le of
meeting the needs of the country's economy;
Encourage development of telecommunication facilities in remote, hilly and triba
l areas
of the country;
Create a modern and efficient telecommunications infrastructure taking into acco
unt the
convergence of IT, media, telecom and consumer electronics and thereby propel In
dia
into becoming an IT superpower;
Convert PCO's, wherever justified, into Public Teleinfo centres having multimedi
a
capability like ISDN services, remote database access, government and community
information systems etc.
Transform in a time bound manner, the telecommunications sector to a greater
competitive environment in both urban and rural areas providing equal opportunit
ies and
level playing field for all players;
Strengthen research and development efforts in the country and provide an impetu
s to
build world-class manufacturing capabilities.
Achieve efficiency and transparency in spectrum management.
Protect defence and security interests of the country.
Enable Indian Telecom Companies to become truly global players.
The New Policy framework must focus on creating an environment, which enables
continued attraction of investment in the sector and allows creation of communic
ation
infrastructure by leveraging on technological development.
REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was formed in January 1997 with
a
view to provide an effective regulatory framework and adequate safeguards to ens
ure fair
competition and protection of consumer interests. The Government is committed to
a
strong and independent regulator with comprehensive powers and clear authority t
o
effectively perform its functions.
Towards this objective the following approach has been be adopted:

Section 13 of The TRAI Act gives adequate powers to TRAI to issue directions to
service
providers. Further, under Section 14 of the Act, the TRAI has full adjudicatory
powers to
resolve disputes between service providers.
TRAI will be assigned the arbitration function for resolution of disputes betwee
n
Government (in its role as licensor) and any licensee.
The Government will invariably seek TRAI's recommendations on the number and
timing of new licenses before taking decision on issue of new licenses in future
.
The functions of licensor and policy maker would continue to be discharged by
Government in its sovereign capacity. In respect of functions where TRAI has bee
n
assigned a recommendatory role, it would not be statutorily mandatory for Govern
ment
to seek TRAI's recommendations
MARKETING STRATEGIES OF RELIANCE COMMUNICATION:

To spend Rs 16,000 crore to expand and strengthen network coverage. After

expansion, Reliance Communications will have the single largest wireless
network in the world
Launched the lowest-cost classic brand handset at Rs 777
Will add 23,000 more towers
Telecom services will be available in over 23,000 towns and 600,000 villages.
To gave out lots of free minutes to users to create an existing user base.
Reliance is cutting down on Capital Expenditure since it already has the network
and now believes it also has the user base and will be able to generate good cas
h
flows.
COMPETITORS:
AIRETL:
India's largest and world's third largest cellular service provider with more th
an 82 million
subscribers Bharti Airtel is a merger between Bharti Group and Airtel it s a well k
now Ned
brand in India as well as Asia . Owned by Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal. Telecom giant
Bharti Airtel
is the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises. The Bharti Group has a diverse bu
siness
portfolio and has created global brands in the telecommunication sector.
Vision of Airtel:
By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India:
Loved by more customers
Targeted by top talent
Benchmarked by more businesses.
The total customer base of Airtel is 78,908,993 or 31.65% of the total 249,349,4
36 GSM
mobile connections in India till November 2008. In 2009 Airtel is launched in Sr
ilanka also.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The aim of study is to understand the behavior of mobile phone users in

BHUBANESWAR and CUTTUCK and further capture their satisfaction level that is
influenced by various technical and non technical factors.
To ascertain the attributes which influenced the customer s in selecting a particu
lar cell
phone services provider and a particular hand-set.
To assess the problems faced by the cell phone users in BHUBANESWAR and
CUTTUCK city.
To offer valuable suggestions to improve the services of the mobile phone networ
k.
SCOPE OF STUDY

The present study is contained to twin city of BHUBANESWAR AND CUTTUCK and it
is decided to consider all leading mobile operators like AIRTEL, AIRCEL, R-GSM,
RCDMA,
TATA-INDICOME, VIRGIN, IDEA, VODAFONE and BSNL for the survey.
For handset, there are more than 20 Brands of Mobile phones available in the mar
ket.
Within each brand there are various models, each with different attributes and f
unctions.
This research will open the doors of consumer buying behavior towards pre-paid p
roducts
and handset models.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATA COLLECTION

The secondary data study gave us insights on understanding consumer buying behav
ior
and various concepts on purchase of pre-paid products and handset models.
Primary data were collected from the respondents through the distribution of
questionnaire.
AREA OF THE STUDY:
This study covers the twin city of BHUBANESWAR and CUTTUCK.
SAMPLE SIZE:
The sample size achieved is 200.
ANALYSIS

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

CUSTOMER BASE:
· Out of 200 respondent interview BSNL has got maximum of 20% respondent followe
d
closely by R-GSM and AIRTEL with a share of 17% each and 16% Respectively.
[Annexure 1]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR THERE CURRENT OPERATOR:
It has been observed that

Maximum number of Respondents had initially thought about taking R-GSM before
switching to different network.
· Followed by BSNL which comes second with 22 respondents.
[Annexure 2]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR AIRTEL (33):
14 respondents had only thought about AIRTEL and took AIRTEL.
Maximum number of respondent had initially thought of having R-GSM before
opting for AIRTEL mainly due to good connectivity and more establish brand name.
· BSNL comes second
[Annexure 3]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR R-GSM (34):

Maximum of the respondents had initially thought about taking BSNL but later on
switched to R-GSM mainly due to lower cost and free on-net calls.
· Only 13 respondents had thought only about R-GSM
[Annexure 4]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR BSNL (40):
· More than half of the respondent had only thought about BSNL.
· Some of the respondent had initially thought of having R-GSM mainly due to
word of mouth
· AIRCEL comes second mainly due to same word of mouth.
[Annexure 5]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR VODAFONE(22):
Maximum respondents had a thought about almost all operators before opting for
VODAFONE mainly due to its :
Lower entry cost
Free on-net calls
· Very economical tariff.
[Annexure 6]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR AIRCEL(21):
More half of the respondents did not thought for any other operator.
Many of the respondent had initially thought about BSNL because of word of mouth
and
good connectivity.
[Annexure 7]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR TATA-INDICOM (13):
As both TATA-INDICOM and R-CDMA gives free STD on-net calls so respondents had
thought about R-CDMA.
7 respondent took TATA-INDICOM without having any second thought.
[Annexure 8]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR IDEA (7):

Only two respondent had initially thought of VODAFONE and VIRGIN before taking
idea.
[Annexure 9]
OPERATORS CONSIDERED BEFORE OPTING FOR VIRGIN (4):

Similarly two respondent had initially thought about taking TATA-INDICOM and RCD
MA.
[Annexure 10]
AGE WISE COMPOSITION OF THE SAMPLE:
Out of 200 respondents interviews
· Maximum respondent are from age group of 22-30
· Followed by the age group of 31-40.
[Annexure 11]
AGE WISE PREFERENCE OF OPERATORS:

In the age group of 15-21 which mainly consists of students VODAFONE leads with
11
respondent opting for it mainly because of free on-net calls and low entry cost
which is
followed by R-GSM with 7 respondents.
In the age group of 22-30 AIRTEL leads with 16 respondents mainly because of goo
d
connectivity and better brand strength, closely followed by R-GSM with 15 respon
dents.
In the age group of 31-40 R-CDMA leads mainly due to better connectivity and fre
e STD
on-net calls which is followed by BSNL.
While in the age group of 41-50 BSNL has emerge as a clear winner with 18 respon
dent
opting for it mainly because of Govt. owned company, good connectivity and bette
r voice
clarity.
[Annexure 12]
OCCUPATION WISE COMPOSITION OF SAMPLE:

Out of 200 respondents interviewed consists of Student

, Service Personnel (govt. /public sector), Service Personnel (private sector),
Business Person
, Retired Person and Other s.

Maximum respondent are from student with 30% followed by business person with 28
%.
[Annexure 13]
OCCUPATION WISE OPERATOR PREFERANCE (STUDENT-60):
It shows that Vodafone enjoy a good lead over its competitors among the student
mainly due to:

Low entry cost

Free on-net calls
Strong brand name
Word of mouth
Vodafone is followed by R-GSM as most popular among students
[Annexure 14]
OCCUPATION WISE OPERATOR PREFERANCE (SERVICE PERSONNEL(GOVT)-26
Both BSNL & R-GSM leads over their competitors mainly due to:

Established Company
Loyalty towards one particular operator.
Aircel comes second with 5 respondents.
[Annexure 15]
OCCUPATION WISE OPERATOR PREFERANCE SERVICE PERSONNEL(PVT)-47

AIRTEL leads in this segment mainly due to better connectivity, good voice clari
ty
and strong brand name.
· Followed by R-GSM and BSNL because of establish brand name.
[Annexure 16]
OCCUPATION WISE OPERATOR PREFERANCE BUSINESS PERSON-56:
· BSNL leads in this segment followed by R-CDMA.
[Annexure 17]
OCCUPATION WISE OPERATOR PREFERANCE RETIRED PERSON- 5:
Out of 6 respondent 4 are Home makers who were using connections given to them b
y
others.
Rest 2 respondents have their own choose of operator.
[Annexure 18]
MOBILE PHONE USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSE BY THE RESPONDENT:
Maximum usage is for personal purpose, followed by business and official purpose
s.

STUDENTS use mobile phone only for their personal purpose.

While in case of service personnel (pvt.) the use of mobile phone is been nearly
equally
distributed in all categories.
But in case of service personnel (govt.) mobile phone is used mostly for persona
l use
followed by official use.
In case of business person maximum usage of mobile phone is for business purpose
.
Respondents were asked to reveal various reasons for which they opt for the oper
ator.
[Annexure 19]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR AIRTEL (33):

· Better connectivity
· Strong brand
· Good customer care service help AIRTEL in attracting more of its customers.
[Annexure 20]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR R-GSM (34):
· Attractive tariff is the main motivation factor.
· Brand strength
· Good customer care service.
[Annexure 21]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR R-CDMA (26):

Good connectivity
Attractive tariff like free on-net STD calls.
· And good customer care service is the main motivating network.
[Annexure 22]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR AIRCEL (21):
Good customer care service.
Economical tariff rates and,
· Word of mouth comes as driving force for the respondent to opt for the network
.
[Annexure 23]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR BSNL (40):
Connectivity plays a very important role in influencing the respondent to go for
this
network.
Govt. owned brand
· Good customer care service motivates the respondent to go for this operator.
[Annexure 24]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR VODAFONE (22):
Free on-net local calls are a major factor behind opting VODAFONE.
Very low entry cost.
· And word of mouth also helps the respondent in opting for VODAFONE.
[Annexure 25]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR TATA-INDICOM (13):
Good Connectivity
brand strength
· And free on-net STD calls.
[Annexure 26]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR IDEA (7)
Low entry cost
Attractive and economical tariff and
· Word of mouth plays an important role in motivating the respondents.
[Annexure 27]
FACTORS BEHIND OPTING FOR VIRGIN MOBILE (4)
Word of mouth
Better connectivity and
Attractive tariff plays a very important role in motivating respondents for opti
ng the
network.
[Annexure 28]
TOP 3 STV S USED BY THE RESPONDENT
Respondents were asked to name top 3 STV S they used for the operator they are cur
rently
using.
[Annexure 29]
TOP 3 TOP-UP S USED BY THE RESPONDENT
Respondents were asked to name top 3 TOP-UP S they used for the operator they are
currently
using.
[Annexure 30]
TOP 3 SMS PACKS USED BY THE RESPONDENT
Similarly Respondents were asked to name top 3 SMS PACKS they used for the opera
tor they
are currently using.
[Annexure 31]
MARKET SHARE OF VARIOUS BRANDS OF MOBILE PHONE HANDSETS
Out of total 200 sampled consumers, 89 consumers own a Nokia mobile handset whic
h comes to
44 percent share of the market. This is followed by Samsung (15%), Motorola (14%
), Sony
Erickson (11%), LG (9%) and others (7%).
[Annexure 32]
INFLUENCING FACTORS TO PURCHASE THE HANDSETS
Consumers were asked to reveal their likings for various attributes of the mobil
e phone
instrument.

Maximum respondent see long battery backup as the most influencing factor for
deciding any cell phone.
Followed by the brand name
And looks
[Annexure 33]
CONSUMER S SATISFACTION LEVEL AFTER USING THE OPERATOR:
The satisfaction level of users was analyzed on a five point scale ranging from v
ery much
satisfied to very much dissatisfied . A major group of consumers either say that the
y are
almost satisfied (48%) or average satisfied (28%).
While taking consumer s satisfaction level as operator wise BSNL leads with maximu
m of 26
respondents followed by AIRTEL with 19 respondents as very much satisfied custom
ers.

BSNL has got the maximum very much satisfied users mainly due to good
connectivity and Govt undertaking brand.
Then comes AIRTEL which has got second maximum very much satisfied users from
its competitors mainly due to good connectivity and strong brand name.
[Annexure 34]
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION (AIRTEL (33):

Higher cost in tariffs is the major reason for dissatisfaction among the respond
ent as
they think its bit on higher side compared with its competitors.
· Also poor customer care service is another factor.
[Annexure 35]
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION R-GSM (34):
Majority of the respondents are not happy with the quality of network and voice
clarity provided by the R-GSM.
Call conjunction during peak time.
· Customer care service is not that good
[Annexure 36]
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION R-CDMA (26):
Higher entry cost is one of the major reasons for dissatisfaction among the user
s.
Also the cost of CDMA handset is much more than GSM handset
Another reason is that call conference system is not available in the pre-paid o
f RCDMA.
[Annexure 37]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION BSNL (40):

Higher cost is one of the major reasons for dissatisfaction among the users of B
SNL.
· Also they think customer care service is not up to the mark.
[Annexure 38]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION VODAFONE (22):
Vodafone has got least number of dissatisfied customers mainly because it s been i
n
operation for last 10 months only.
[Annexure 39]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION AIRCEL (21):

Poor network in remote areas is one of the major reasons for dissatisfaction amo
ng the
users.
· Also voice clarity is not good during the peak time.
[Annexure 40]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION TATA-INDICOM (13):
Higher entry cost is the main reason for dissatisfaction.
· Also the cost of CDMA handset is much more than GSM handset.
[Annexure 41]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION VIRGIN MOBILE (4):
· Entry cost is much higher as users need to buy a handset for getting the conne
ction.
[Annexure 42]
REASON FOR DISSATISFACTION IDEA (7):
· Few respondent come up with poor voice clarity as one reason.
[Annexure 43]
RESPONDENTS INTENDING TO CHANGE THEIR OPERATOR:
The respondents intend level was capture on a five point scale ranging from Highl
y Intend
to Definitely Not with maximum respondents 52% opt for Definitely Not . That means th
ey
will definitely not change their operator followed by Do Not Intend with 22%.
While if we see operator wise:

It is clear that maximum of R-GSM respondent wants to change their operator is n

ear
future. Followed by BSNL
Similarly BSNL have got maximum number of respondent who are every much
satisfied with their operator and they don t want to switch to any other operator.
Followed by AIRTEL.
[Annexure 44]
OPERATORS RECOMMEND MOST BY THE RESPONDENT TO THEIR
FRIENDS/RELATIVES

BSNL leads mainly because of good network, attractive tariff and Govt. undertaki
ng
brand.
Followed by VODAFONE which is more popular among the students mainly due to
very low entry cost, free on-net calls and a strong international brand.
Then comes AIRTEL which rides on its good connectivity and brand image.
· After that both R-GSM and R-CDMA comes.
[Annexure 45]
SOURCES FROM WHICH RESPONDENT GET TO KNOW ABOUT DIFFERENT PREPAID
PRODUCTS AND HANDSET MODELS

As it is expected RETAILER leads as the major source from which respondents get
to
know about different pre-paid products and handset models.
Followed by FRIENDS/RELTIVES who give vital information and also motivates the
respondent to use the said product.
[Annexure 46]
NEWSPAPER READ BY THE RESPONDENT THE MOST:
Maximum of the respondents read TIMES OF INDIA followed by DHARITRI.
[Annexure 47]
MOST PREFFERED RADIO CHANNEL AMONG THE RESPONDENT:

Maximum of the respondent don t have time to listen to any of the FM channels.
Between the age group of 15-21 and 22-30 maximum of the respondent listen to FM
channels
· Radio chocolate comes first among the respondent followed by Big FM.
[Annexure 48]
PROBLEM AREAS
FOR R-GSM:
.
Poor connectivity and voice clarity is the major factors as almost all the
respondents are telling. Poor connectivity means unavailability of signals,
call failure, call drop downs etc.
.
Higher entry cost than its competitors that why maximum student
respondents are opting for Vodafone or idea due to lower entry cost.
.
Free on-net calls tariffs are not that attractive compare to its competitors.
.
Brand visibility is poor compared to its competitors.
FOR R-CDMA:
.
Higher entry cost as it comes with a handset.
.
Handset available with R-CDMA is much costlier than handset available for
GSM.
.
No tie ups with NOKIA or SAMSUNG for R-CDMA.

RECOMMEDATION
The survey and analysis that we have conducted has brought out certain interesti
ng facts and
given insights into the buyer behavior in case of mobile pre-paid products and h
andset models.

FOR R-GSM:
Focus On Good Connectivity And Low Entry Cost:
.
In the analysis it has been found that the major influential factors that motiva
tes a
customer are good connectivity and Low entry cost.
.
More than 50% of respondents mention it as one of the major influential factors.
.
Also an economical on-net call is one of the major motivating factors among stud
ent.
ANNEXURE
Annexure 1
OPERATOR BASE
Aircel 21
Airtel 33
BSNL 40
R-GSM 34
TATAIndicom 13
Vodafdone 22
R-CDMA 26
Virgin 4
Idea 7
TOTAL 200
Annexure 2
Annexure 3
Annexure 4
Annexure 5
Annexure 6
Annexure 7
Annexure 8
Annexure 9
Annexure 10
Annexure 11
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Annexure 13
Annexure 14
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Annexure 16
Annexure 17
Annexure 18
Annexure 19
Annexure 20
Annexure 21
Annexure 22
Annexure 14
Annexure 14
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Annexure 14
Annexure 14
Annexure 14 Annexure 14
Annexure 14
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Annexure 14
Annexure 14
Annexure 14
Annexure 14