A STUDY ON STUDENTS PREFERENCE TOWARDS VARIOUS MOBILE SERVICE PROVIDERS

Shrinathji Institute of Management Upali Oden, Nathdwara (RAJ.)

By:- Shilpa Rathi IV Sem ( Finance Marketing)

Introduction

India's 21.59 million-line telephone network is the largest in Asia, 3rd largest among emerging economies (after China and Republic of Korea) and the 12th largest in the world. India's telecom network comprises of 27,753 telephone exchanges, with a total equipped capacity of 272.17 Lakh lines and 226.3 Lakh working telephones. The Long Distance Transmission Network has nearly 1,70,000 route kilometers of terrestrial Microwave Radio Relay & Co-axial cables and about 171,000 route kilometers of Optical Fiber Cables. Fully automatic International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) service is available to almost all the countries. The total number of stations connected to National Subscriber Dialing (NSD) is over 18,000 and this is increasing fast. Yet the present tele-density is very low at about 2.2 per hundred persons, offering a vast scope for growth. In the field of International communications, tremendous progress was made by the use of Satellite Communication and submarine links.

The voice and non-voice telecom services include data transmission, facsimile, mobile radio, radio paging, V-SAT and leased line services to cater to variety of needs, both residential and business. A dedicated Packet Switched Public Data Network (I-NET) with international access for computer communication services is also available. ISDN service has already been introduced in the major cities.

Contd

The telecom industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. India has nearly 200 million telephone lines making it the third largest network in the world after China and USA. With a growth rate of 45%, Indian telecom industry has the highest growth rate in the world. Much of the growth in Asia Pacific Wireless Telecommunication Market is spurred by the growth in demand in countries like India and China. Indias mobile phone subscriber base is growing at a rate of 82.2%. China is the biggest market in Asia Pacific with a subscriber base of 48% of the total subscribers in Asia Pacific. Compared to that Indias share in Asia Pacific Mobile Phone market is 6.4%. Considering the fact that India and China have almost comparable populations, Indias low mobile penetration offers huge scope for growth.

Key players of indian markets.

Cellular Service provider: 1. BSNL 2. Airtel 3. Vodafone 4. Reliance 5. Tata indicom 6. Spice

Objectives

To know about the student preference level associated with different cellular service providers . To find out the students satisfaction towards the various service providers. To know which advertisement media puts more impact on the buying decision of students.

Reserch methodology

Scope of study To analyze the students satisfaction towards various service providers. Also to analyze the impact of various advertisement and promotional schemes launched by these service providers. I have done a descriptive research survey on students preference and behavior towards these service providers.

Do you have any mobile connections

Interpretation: Every student carries a mobile phone, except a rare case.

How many mobile connections do you have?

58% of the students carries more than 1 connection with them, whereas 33% (which is in itself a major proportion), carries 2 connections at a time, and 7% of the students have three, similarly 2% students carries more than three connections with them. It may be taken as a need or a status symbol as far as the utility is concerned.

Which service do you prefer?

74% of the students own a prepaid connection, 22% of them have a postpaid and 4% of them have both the connections, which shows the ease of carrying a prepaid connections, in terms of expenses on phone.

Which mobile services are you currently using?(including two or more)

Reliance network is the most preferred connection, as main or an alternate connection. Vodafone and airtel are the most preferred networks as per overall performance is concerned, and they are basically the main connections being carried by the students.

Which factor do you give the highest preference?

Interpretation: Call charges and coverage, these are the parameters which have been given the most importance while selecting any service. Promotional schemes, GPRS, n other factors have a lower yet considerable impact.

Which service would you like to go for, if you want to change?

Interpretation: Airtel is the first preference among the students if it comes to changing the current service they were using.

Findings

Major preferences are given to the following factors, in selection of particular connection, which is currently in use. Coverage holds the maximum preference in selecting any network. Call charges has been preferred after call rates (among students). Thereafter comes other factors like texting , internet, GPRS service(as in order of preference) TV has the major impact as an advertising media in preferring any service.

Conclusions

Vodafone and Airtel provides the highest coverage area.

T.V. is the best advertisement media that put more impact on the students buying behavior than any other media comparatively.
One interesting analysis found out is that students using BSNL services say that any type of advertisement media has no impact on their preference while buying. Reliance is preferred most as basic or alternate network with 58%.

Contd

overall airtel has been placed at the highest priority as to coverage call rate etc. 68% of the students are not satisfied by the service they are currently using .They either carry an alternate no. with them or are planning to change their current service.