DTAC targets provincial BlackBerry users
Total Access Communication (DTAC) is continuing to tap demand from users of BlackBerry smart-phone models and services in the provincial market under its Happy prepaid phone service with the launch of a new service and promotional call packages.
Pakorn Pannachet, senior vice president of DTAC's products division, said demand this year for the BlackBerry smart phone in provincial areas was set to grow further, on the back of 120-per-cent growth in the number of DTAC prepaid customers using the phones during the past six months, most of them teenagers. He expects similar growth during the second half of the year. DTAC has more than 300,000 BlackBerry smart-phone users, of whom 80 per cent are prepaid subscribers. Most users are in the provinces.
To cash in on the growth trend, especially in the provinces, the second-largest cellular operator has launched new pre- and postpaid BlackBerry packages such as the BB Mini prepaid package, which costs Bt44 a week.
It has also launched "Jai Dee BB Borrow Service" for prepaid BlackBerry customers. After they run out of data credit, they can call a number and use BlackBerry services - from the messenger to e-mail services - on credit for an additional two days per month. The transaction fee is Bt25.
DTAC has almost 3 million users of all smart-phone brands, of whom about 800,000 are users of top-end smart phones. The company made revenue of Bt19.7 billion in the second quarter, up 12.9 per cent year on year, mainly driven by data services and sales of smart-phone handsets.
