Airtel to offer users gamut of services via app

With content becoming the focal point for telecom players, Airtel has big plans to integrate various financial, healthcare and educational services with its mobile application – My Airtel – as it moves forward to offer differentiated content.

The idea is to tie up with start-ups and third-party companies to offer such content to its subscribers who give minimum average revenue per user (Arpu) of Rs 199, according to a senior company executive.

Analytics will play a major part in deciding which service will be offered to which subscriber. This is a long term vision for the company to generate additional revenues, when content will be the only differentiation for telecom players, the executive said on the condition of anonymity.

For its users above the minimum Arpu through the Airtel Thanks Program, the company already has offers such as free music downloads and unlimited streaming from its music app Wynk, a three-month free subscription of Netflix, free one-year access to Amazon Prime amongst others.

“We want to use this platform (mobile app) like a reward program or a loyalty program. If you are an Airtel Thanks member, then at different tiers, different things will open up for you, free of cost which will be exclusive and customised for every user. The thanks platform will be one of the strategic pillars around which we will drive a lot of upgrading,” the executive said.

Going forward, at some stage, for a real premium customer, we may give a guarantee that we will come and fix a solution for your network either in your house or office in a specified time. This is the long term plan and we are building upon our existing platform to offer suites of services, another person privy to Airtel’s plans said.

EXPANDING THE BASKET

• 77 mn – Airtel’s 4G subscriber base in Q3FY19, which accounts for 27% of its total subscriber base
   
• 284 mn – total user base of Airtel as reported in Q3FY19