Sandvine (TSX: SVC), a leading provider of intelligent broadband and network solutions for fixed and mobile operators, today announced the overwhelming success of Econet Wireless's innovative service plans and how they are transforming network usage in the region.
Recognising the opportunity for service plans that aligned with subscriber behaviours and trends, Econet Wireless developed and launched an unlimited WhatsApp bundle, using Sandvine's Usage Management solution implemented with Sandvine's local partner Three6five Network Technologies. The WhatsApp bundles include varying plans - 30 cents daily, 95 cents per week and $3 a month - to offer bite-sized Internet plans priced to meet the needs of the market demographic.
"Sandvine's leading business intelligence and service innovation capabilities enable us to better understand emerging trends on our network and act quickly to rapidly introduce new, innovative services that are highly-valued by our customers and that give us a competitive edge in our market," said Leon de Fleuriot, General Manager: Products and Services.
Since February 2014, the Unlimited WhatsApp bundle has experienced tremendous adoption by Econet subscribers, WhatsApp now accounts for more than 23% of network activity. Econet's Unlimited WhatsApp bundle allows subscribers to share photos, videos, voice notes, locations, files and attachments on the popular real-time communications application, as often as they want for a fixed price per month, week or even per day.
"Many subscribers are using first generation smartphones and talk and text plans. This bundle has opened up an opportunity for Econet to launch service plans that incentivise subscribers to move to data-driven services that are affordable to users and profitable to the network," said Don Bowman, CTO, Sandvine.
While other operators are talking about what to do in the future and what their platforms can support, Econet is using Sandvine solutions to seize opportunities and maintain their position as market-leader. The launch of Econet's WhatsApp bundle complements the recently launched Facebook service plan, also experiencing high-adoption.
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